


Convin-ce Me

by Florian_Gray, Lupo (LupoLight)



Series: RP [2]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Amanda (Detroit: Become Human) Being an Asshole, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Bathing/Washing, Bi Connor, Bisexual Connor, Bisexual Male Character, Blood and Injury, Blow Jobs, Bottom Connor, Bottom Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Bottom Gavin Reed, Boys in Skirts, Canon-Typical Violence, Coming Untouched, Connor calls Hank dad, Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed are Siblings, Explicit Sexual Content, Fainting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Gay Bar, Gay Gavin Reed, Gay Male Character, Getting Together, Good Elijah Kamski, Good Parent Hank Anderson, Hank Anderson & Connor Parent-Child Relationship, Hank Anderson Adopts Connor, Hank Anderson and Connor Live Together, Hank Anderson and Connor are Family, Hurt/Comfort, Kink Negotiation, Lapdance, M/M, Multiple Orgasms, Mutual Pining, Oral Sex, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Overstimulation, Panic Attacks, Pining, Pole Dancing, Poor Connor, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Protective Connor, Protective Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Protective Gavin Reed, Protective Hank Anderson, Protective North (Detroit: Become Human), RP, Resolved Sexual Tension, Roleplay, Sexual Tension, Shibari, Shopping, Shower Sex, Slow Burn, Smut, Strippers & Strip Clubs, Switching, Top Connor, Top Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Top Gavin Reed, Undercover, switch Connor, switch Gavin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:20:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 237,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22635004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Florian_Gray/pseuds/Florian_Gray, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LupoLight/pseuds/Lupo
Summary: Gavin Reed and Connor are paired up to work a case together at a gay bar. Things happen while working the case, some good, others bad.
Relationships: Connor/Gavin Reed, Hank Anderson & Connor, Markus/Simon (Detroit: Become Human)
Series: RP [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1660183
Comments: 14
Kudos: 63





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Alright, so this is an rp between Lupo and me! My posts will be normal and Lupo's will be italicized. Underlined is a text message.
> 
> There is a part where there is non-con touching but it doesn't go any farther than that.

_Today was shaping up to be a great day. Gavin woke up to his cats Doa and Bastard being absolute sweethearts, curled together on the counter. Then, on his way through the coffee shop drive-through, his blonde roast he got had the number of this cute guy on it. And an extra shot of caramel. He couldn't help but be happy when he entered the precinct, finger gunning Tina as he walked by. He just booted up his computer when Fowler called for him. Bright and early. He set down the drink and walked over, adjusting his coat to look slightly more presentable. He entered the office, seeing Connor standing there and Fowler standing from his desk. 'Ok...' He raised an eyebrow, stance becoming slightly more defensive._

_If he was honest, he avoiding Connor after the revolution. He felt like shit for the things he did, but he couldn't apologize. Non-deviated androids were machines. To someone who knew about deviants before the media started having hissy fits. He couldn't explain himself either since they weren't partners, and Gavin was somewhat busy. Even now, months later, spring warming up the city to the point his jacket was going to be abandoned, he still tried to avoid the other as much as possible. "Captain, Connor- Something the matter?"_

Fowler sighed and picked up a file, opening it. "I need you and Connor to go to The Hidden Door, it's a gay bar close by. We've gotten intel that they are smuggling biocomponents along with red ice. We don't want this to get out of control, so I thought it best for this to be undercover. Conner and Hank were originally assigned the case, but both Hank and Connor agreed that Hank should sit this one out." Fowler said. He handed the folder to Gavin. It didn't have much in it, but what it did have was not good. 

"You are at least open to the lgbt community, am I correct?" Connor asks, turning to Gavin.

_'Phck me.' Gavin knew of the club. One very lonely night, he was debating branching out his usual haunts, and he was one click from going there. Thankfully Tina dragged him to her favorite place. Gavin looked over the folder, mostly for the intel on what to watch out for. At the question though, he had to bite hard on his cheek to keep from smirking or making noise, scowling as a result. 'Plenty open,' as he thought of the number written on his damned coffee cup. "Open enough. I've worked a good number of these alone though, why the partner to begin with?" Gavin looked to Fowler, already a little insulted they went to Hank of all people over Gavin._

_He opened the folder again, an idea beginning to form, in case Connor didn't have one. Had the other even worked undercovers before? He never turned to look at him, avidly trying not to do so._

"I am an Android, and they are selling biocomponents, so I would have a reason to be there," Connor states, tilting his head slightly. 

"I understand if you are not comfortable working with me." 

"If need be I am open to most anything, and I can download information on what is to be expected at a gay bar," Connor says, already searching. One thing he knows he will have to get is a new outfit. 

"Gavin, we have an in for you... Though you may not like it." Fowler says.

_Not comfortable was an understatement. Gavin was outright avoiding the guy for months, only to be partnered up with him on this? Fowler had to be punishing him for something. "You might want to- it's not like Jimmy's at all." He chuckled, keeping it very clipped. Looking up to Fowler, his face was dead blank, challenge in his eyes as he tried real hard to keep back a grin. "Can't be any worse than the maid cafe that was illegally selling thirium." He shot back, remembering the case from years ago._

"I will, thank you," Connor says, his LED circling yellow, as his eyes go slightly unfocused. He downloads information on normal bars along with gay bars and what behavior is to be expected of him. He blinks rapidly when he hears Gavin talk and has to replay the moment again in his mind. He was quite interested in the case Gavin brought up. 

Fowler nodded, remembering the case. "We can get you in as a dancer." He leans back against his chair, looking between Connor and Gavin.

_Not surprising. Dancer's had elevated podiums, and often were requested to join tables, even when deals were going on. It wouldn't be the first time he did something like this. "Eh, you could've said a lot worse. What's the policy they have with the dancers? No touch or hands only- or is it 'whatever the dancer can handle'?" Gavin asked, relaxing a bit. Despite it having android parts, he was still trying to figure out how Connor worked in. He started thinking of what they would have him wear and hoped it wasn't themed- again._

"Hands-only, though it has been known for it to be at the dancer's discretion," Connor says. 

"Captain, may I purchase an outfit?" He turns back towards Fowler. 

Fowler waves him off, "sure, try not to spend too much money."

_Gavin could tell when a conversation was ending. "Alright. Alright, just- one question. What's your in?" Gavin finally turned to Connor and hoped the other didn't notice the way he became slightly more stuff. "I get what I'm supposed to do, see, hear, interact- get evidence. And I get- android parts, an android should take part, but? What are you gonna be doing?" Gavin hoped bluntness was the best choice here._

"I will go in for parts. We believe the smuggling is being run by an Android, if this is true then an Android will be more willing to trust that another Android is buying parts. I will become interested in you, and we can exchange information." Connor says. His mind starts to play an image for him that he quickly pushes away. He doesn't need to be distracted. Though the thought of being interested in the detective is... intriguing. He did find that Gavin's face was pleasing to look at. At the thought, his cheeks warmed slightly.

_Gavin blinked a couple of times, and then his chest puffed- holding back a chuckle. It was part nervous and part amused. "Ah- righto." Gavin fussed with his hair, rubbing at his nose scar. "Alright, when do I head in to start working and what tech are we using to capture evidence?" He was hoping the microphone necklace since it was the easiest to work into any outfit. He tried to keep his head on that and not focused on the fact he was going have to dance- for Connor- at some point in the very near future. 'Tina is going to love this.'_

"Not much, they are fucking strict on their dancers. You are allowed your phone; use it for pictures and videos. The club has different clothes you can pick from. Allie X is the one that's getting you the job. She can't do anything else though, so you only have Connor in there with you." Fowler said, burrowing his brows. He'd normally never send someone in without anything except a phone, but this was their one and only chance. 

"You will start work in three days. Not much time to prepare, but I'm sure you can handle it."

"Detective, if you need I can download how to dance for a night club and teach you," Connor said. He wasn't sure how good of a teacher he would be, but it wouldn't hurt to at least offer to help.

_Only a phone- that was easy honestly. As long as he was sly about it, most guys didn't mind someone posing for pictures- after some flattery. Especially when the one someone is less dressed and making empty promises. "That'll be enough. And oh phck, that's relieving to hear. I'll get something ready to show up in." Three days- that would be fine. He could find some makeup to cover the scar on his face._

_At the offer, Gavin did break slightly, face going red. 'Fowler you bastard you could've said this wasn't my first OP to him!' "Won't- be necessary. I know how to dance for one." He knew how to pole dance too. And that was just for fun. "Is this all- I would like to not continue this conversation. No offense."_

Connor blinked slowly and nodded. So he already knew how. Connor wasn't sure if he wanted to know why he could, but a part of him begged him to ask. He watched Gavin closely. He had gotten slightly warmer, and he seemed to be embarrassed, so he decided against bringing it up. 

Fowler snorted before covering it up with a cough. "That's all." He waved the two out. 

Connor nodded to the Captain before going to the door and holding it open for Gavin.

_"Phcking hell," he grumbled, moving out and nodding to Connor as he held the door open. He looked to his desk, huffing as he thought all this over. "Are you good with all this? Hank good with this?" This was the most he's talked to Connor. It was alright- the other didn't seem to hold any grudges. He pulled out his phone, swiping the photo of him and two cats aside to start looking through it. He was looking for some kind of blue-toothed mic he could purchase and hide in a choker._

Connor smiled slightly at Gavin, the two cats on his phone must be his. Connor knew he had two cats, as he had two different cat hairs on him almost daily. It was a nice thought of Gavin taking care of them. 

"Of course, I was the one that suggested you take Hanks place. Hank was very happy to sit this one out." Connor says, thinking back on their conversation. It was almost comical how fast Hank refused. He knew Hank was perfectly accepting of the lgbt community, but he really didn't think he'd work as the dancer.

_That got a snort out of him. "Of course he was happy to sit it out. All offense to Hank, I wouldn't be paid enough to watch him dance." Gavin turned, raising an eyebrow. "How advanced is the android you think is running this? I got a few chokers I can hide blue-tooth mics in; I wanna know if they'll be able to scan for this shit." Chokers and collars, but chokers were a lot easier to admit to. Had fewer implications than collars. "And uh, thanks. I'm pissed Fowler didn't think of me first- bastard knows I've run things like this before."_

"I'm not sure, they must be highly intelligent, though that may not have to do with their model. If you have a metal choker of some kind, that would do better to hide a device." Connor said. Metal would definitely help, but there was still a risk. He knew Gavin could handle himself, but it still put him on edge. It was still odd knowing what he felt was concern. 

"Once I had made the suggestion he had agreed. I thought you would be the best since you are attractive and would seem to fit in the best." He had taken in Gavin's appearance multiple times, and his thirium pump would increase. He had run multiple tests, but nothing seemed to be wrong.

_'I have a metal collar...' It was uncomfortable, but it was supposed to be. It would have to do. "I'll bring in what I'm thinking of tomorrow, we'll see if you can detect it?" It seemed like a good solution, no one should be able to beat Connor's software. At the compliment, he didn't know how to immediately react. Pride swelled in him, but also embarrassment and guilt. "Hah- thanks. At least someone admits it- trying to get compliments out of Tina is like pulling teeth." He muttered 'she's so mean to me' before shaking his head. "I'm going to go shopping. You should too- we can discuss more about this tomorrow?"_

"That seems like a good plan. I do not know why no one says you are attractive. If you would like I can bring the outfit I have just purchased." Connor says. He didn't mind if others say him in the outfit though he was worried how the detective would feel, as the clothes he would have to wear would most likely be very revealing.

_"Just bring it in, no need to wear it around. Quite frankly, this place is full of more bullshitters than officers I swear." Gavin looked cross for a moment, then it passed. Especially when the other kept saying 'attractive'. He went to his desk, sitting down and making sure all the files were prepared. "Plus Hank would probably have a heart attack if you walked in with whatever you have planned."_

Connor nodded and sat down at his desk, passing the time for the rest of the day with research. 

When Connor arrived he had an extra bag with him with the clothes he would be wearing. He hoped it was sufficient, but if not he still had time to get a new outfit. 

This would be his first undercover mission and he was almost excited. He never got to use this part of his programming before. Hank waved to Connor before sitting at his desk as Connor made his way over to Gavin's.

_Gavin looked slightly different already. Collar fastened onto his neck, deep-set red gems in it, his scar was covered by makeup. There was a slight glitter to his cheeks and his hair had a little bit more shine. He wore a matching red v-neck, jacket set aside. He looked over hearing footsteps and seen the bag. "Mornin." He sounded tired, and one look at the coffee he had revealed it was completely full. "What room you want to show me what you got in?" He waited for the other to scan him, hoping the steel was strong enough to block the device. It's bluetooth connected to his phone yet, and it was only a microphone part._

Connor stops in his tracks and tries to hide his face slightly. Gavin looked...really, uh, nice. Yeah, he'll go with nice. 

"Uh, oh, right," Connor said, fumbling for words. "There is an empty office we can use," Connor said, holding onto his bag tighter than necessary. He looked up at Gavin and scanned him, trying to not focus too hard. 

"I can see it, but no one else should be able to if they are aren't specifically looking for it," Connor says, before looking back down at the ground.

_"That's good. I doubt they'll be looking for it, I can keep them pretty distracted." He got up, chugging half the cup in a heartbeat, and then shaking his arms. "Lead the way gobot." There was no venom in the name, Gavin not even looking at the other as he took a photo, sending it to Tina._

"Good." He says, and nods. Connor led them to the empty office. Once the door was closed he took his tie off and began unbuttoning his shirt.

_It took a few moments to register what was going on, and Gavin quickly rushed over, placing his hands over Connor's. His face was red at the thought of the other about to strip- right in front of him. "Hey now- the only phcker stripping is me. I meant lay them out Connor- in case anything gives away 'new to this' too much." He moved back, pointedly looking to the wall and not the unbuttoned part of the other's chest. 'No no no- do not ogle him. You two are talking and working together, calm yourself.'_

Connor blinked and nodded, taking out the clothes from the bag and laying them out. He didn't bother buttoning his shirt back up but he did grab his tie. 

"Speaking of, are you comfortable with the job? I know for humans they can easily become embarrassed when they show their skin." Connor said. He made sure the clothes were laid out nicely in the empty desk. 

He wasn't sure if androids had started to feel this too, he'd have to ask Markus.

_Gavin shrugged to that. "I've done this before. I'm used to it- just haven't had a partner for this. Normally go in solo- reduce the blowback if shit goes south." He looked over the clothes. In all honesty, this was going to look good. He'd definitely have the smuggler look to him while seeming alright in the club. "I'm surprised you're alright with this." He looked over, and then quickly looked back. 'Why hasn't he buttoned up- why hasn't he buttoned up- why hasn't he-' The pure gay panic in his head was amusing honestly. "Oh! You uh- you. Ehm. You asked about me being open. In the community-" Gavin pulled out his phone, looking for an excuse to not look over, ever again. He pulled up a picture from last summer, holding it out so Connor could see it._

_It was Gavin, a rainbow across his chest, with a rainbow cape, black leather collar, assless chaps, and a crown, in the middle of a parade. "Yeah. Pretty open. The DPD I bet knows, but I don't hide it, I don't flaunt it."_

Connor leaned in slightly to look at the photo. He felt his thirium pump speed up slightly so he leaned back. 

"I see. Of course, I am ok with it. I talked to Hank and I believe I'm bisexual. I find all genders appealing. I am interested to see if going to a gay bar will arouse me, as I am capable of it." Connor said. Hank had suggested other methods, but he didn't really mind not knowing. He wasn't exactly sure why he was built with the function, maybe he could somehow ask Kamski. 

"Is the outfit good?" Connor asks.

_There was a short snort at imagining the old man having the 'birds and bees' talk with Connor. 'Glad he got a chance to...' "I- you know what saves me from asking." He felt so much heat in his face, glad for the makeup that hid his blush a little bit. "I'm just gay. I dated a girl, once, in high school, but quickly realized that I just- didn't feel anything for all that. She actually realized I was gay before I did- hooked me up with some people." Gavin shrugged at that._

_"The outfits good. You have more than one right? You don't have to wear fancy every night- fuck- you could show up looking like- that." He waved his hand at the other, putting his phone away after a moment. "I'd advise changing your hair a bit- roughing it up or something."_

"Sexuality is a very interesting thing." Connor comments. "I do have more outfits, and you think this would do? It's just a normal shirt." Connor says looking down at himself. Maybe it was because it was undone slightly. 

"And how should I, as you said, rough up my hair? I've only ever had it like this." Connor says, tilting his head slightly. "I could cut it if that's what you meant."

_"No no- don't cut for a short op like this. It sucks." Gavin had to face him. He took a deep breath, then faced the other. 'Eyes up eyes up-' He forgot just how fucking cute the head tilt was. Gavin was not a jealous man, but he cursed past self for not throwing a fit when Hank got a super-detective for a partner and he didn't. "Lemme."_

_Having to reach and stand on his tiptoes was almost insulting, but he threads his hands through Connor's hair, pulling strands out of place gently, and making it looser. "There- you have a slightly recognizable face from the whole march remember? While you can say you're not that specific model, you won't fool anyone looking like you just came from church._

Connor tilted his head down slightly. He didn't mean to, but he leaned slightly into the touch. Apparently, it felt nice to have someone, what was the word, play with his hair. 

It did feel a bit odd to have his hair out of order, but it wasn't a bad feeling either, just new. He wasn't exactly sure what he looked like since he had no mirror.

"I can change my hair color if that would help," Connor says, he never really thought about changing it, but he always had the option to do so.

_"If you want to." Gavin noticed how he leaned in and smiled a bit. Just for extra measure, he rubbed the other's scalp, ignoring the 'you should be's for a moment to tease him. He sat back down on his feet though, pulling out his phone so Connor could use the camera to look. "Up to you. If you do, don't fully change it. I need to know who I'm talking to after all. Maybe stripe it or tip it? If that's an option." He looked to the clothes, helping to put them away._

Connor paused for a second and turned the tips of his hair blue. Connor took the phone and analyzed himself. He did look different, with his hair slightly in his face. He nodded to himself before putting the phone on the desk and helping to put the clothes back in. 

"You should be there by six pm, that way they can show you around," Connor said. 

"Will this do?" Connor asks, pointing to his hair. He had to admit, he kind of liked it with the blue.

_Closing his eyes, he started to wonder what he had done to deserve this. He looked over, and the whole fucking look did him in. Connor looked great- even though he preferred his natural, cleaned up 'Can't-be-fazed-by-shit' look, this did look good on him. Less innocent- a lot more inviting. "Good." His voice was very clipped, heart racing as he consistently told himself he had no right to think of the tincan this way._

_"six pm, got it. You'll be hanging out nearby in case they get suspicious right?" He grabbed his phone, debating on how rude it would be to move to the door right now._

Connor smiled and nodded, "of course, I will be close and once appropriate I will enter the building. I am not allowed a gun, but even if it came to that I believe my programming should suffice." Connor said.

He knew he could easily take on at least five androids, but he didn't know how many there would be. Of course, Gavin could take care of himself, but a part of him wanted to stay with him the whole time, just in case. One, if someone got suspicious, and two, if someone got too...handsy. 

"Should we call each other by different names?" Connor says. Of course, there are other androids names Connor, but it may be too suspicious if he went in there and went by the same name.

_"Sounds good." Gavin chuckled at the 'suffice' bit, knowing stories of all he accomplished. "Oh, I bet." At the names though, Gavin shrugged, thinking of something he could call the other._

_"I normally use Vinny when undercover, but Gavin is a pretty damn popular name, it should be fine for me... But yeah you... I could stick to my nicknames?" The ones he had been avoiding. "I shouldn't have to call your name at any point, and uh- you'll see why. But if I do need to talk to you..." He hummed, sitting against the table, then it clicked._

_"I got it! How about Andy? You know, like Anderson but shortened? Do you- do you use Hank's last name?"_

"I do like your name, I'm glad I won't have to use a different one for you. And I do, Andy will work. I mainly use it on official papers instead of my model and number now." Connor said. 

He remembered the first time he used Hank's last name, as it was quite emotional both for him and Hank. 

_'Cute.' It was really nice to hear the lieutenant was doing better. Gavin definitely couldn't patch over all the shit they pulled on each other. Guilt rose up in him again and he looked away. "Thanks, tincan- listen, I'm going to head back out. Everything's looking good so far though, got any more questions or- should I let you go to get something done?" His arms crossed, hiding the way he wanted to fuss with something._

"I don't," Connor said grabbing the bag and buttoning his shirt back up one-handed.

Connor scanned Gavin but didn't look at the results. Sometimes it was a bit overwhelming getting so much information. He had to close his eyes briefly before opening them again. He would have to let Hank know that it had happened again.

_"Alright, meet here tomorrow at four, to go over everything one more time, then I'll head over first and you follow behind. If you need me, I'll probably be in the breakroom with Tina." He got up, heading to the door and opening it. Not closing it behind him, he quickly walked out, feeling his chest lighten. These next days were going to be hell._

Connor wasn't sure if he was supposed to show up dressed for the bar or not. He didn't want to not have time to change, but he didn't want to look unprofessional. 

He paused slightly before making a decision. He looked into his mirror once he was dressed and tried to make his hair look like it did when Gavin did it. 

It wasn't perfect, but he supposed it wasn't supposed to be. Once he made sure he wasn't missing anything he left his room. 

When he got in a few of the other officers turned to look at him. He smiled at the receptionist before walking back towards their desks. Hank had gone in around eleven, but Connor didn't need to get there until four.

Connor had brought with him two cookies he made and walked to Hank's desk to give them to him.

_Hank was working on some paperwork, having some in physical form to sign over. He looked up hearing footsteps, and blinked, choking on air after a moment. "Fuck Connor- forgot you were going on that op with Reed- did you change your hair?" He turned, taking the cookies with a 'thanks'._

_Gavin showed up a bit after, only because he was caught in traffic. He suddenly remembered why he actually enjoyed living nearby. That being said, he was wise enough to wear a large, loose sweatshirt. It reached halfway down his ass and was long enough to hide his hands, yet there was enough exposed to confirm he was dressed for his part. The collar, steel piercings in his ears to match, and torn up black jeans, shined boots stopping at his desk, trying not to attract attention._

"I did! Gavin suggested it, and I added the blue. Hopefully, I will fit it." Connor said smiling. 

He had taken to baking. It was actually rather soothing to do, and he had all the recipes he'd ever want in his head. It was always nice when Hank enjoyed what he made, it made him proud. 

He heard the sound of footsteps and turned to look. It was Gavin and he was definitely already dressed, so his choice was right. He swallowed thickly when he was that Gavin was already wearing the choker. His face warmed considerably and he shifted from foot to foot slightly.

_"Yeah, I guess the fucker would know a thing or two about all this. He's been in more OPs than me. It looks fitting from what I remember." He watched as the other shifted, looking to Gavin as he did and chuckling. "Looks like he's all dressed up too. He only wears that over-sized hoodie when he's trying to hide something. Once snuck a cat in." He said it so casually, and then turned to his papers. "You better get over there, you guys have an hour to get your shit ready. And take care of yourself Connor- if Reed does something stupid, don't be afraid to tell him so."_

_Gavin, once making sure everything was fine at his desk, looked around for Connor. Seeing the other in his gear was- a mess to his head. He quickly looked away, motioning to the empty office from last time and heading there._

Connor nodded and smiled at the thought of Gavin sneaking a cat in, somehow it didn't surprise him. 

Connor watched Gavin walk towards the office and stumbled for a second before following him. Gavin looked... Cute like that. Connor had an urge to cuddle him in blankets. The thought made him freeze for a second before pushing the thought away. He had to focus, he had a mission.

_Gavin walked in, calming himself down as he mentally prepared for this. He had been slipping into a role for the better part of the day, practicing much to his cats’ amusement. He really hoped android cats were protected from interface, because if Doa ever was hacked- Gavin was a dead man. When Connor walked in, he was able to face him._

_"You look good, Andy." His voice was a lot less rough, and Gavin was glad he was slightly getting control of himself. 'Job comes first, no matter what.'_

Connor flushed slightly and nodded, "thanks. You look um, really...nice." Connor said. He kept his gaze just to the side of Gavin's face so he was staring at the wall. 

He was glad that Gavin couldn't scan him because Connor knew what evidence he would find. 

He tried to push his feelings down. He loved being able to feel emotions but they could most certainly get in the way. He definitely didn't want to upset Gavin either. He would get through this and stay composed.

_'Really nice?' Gavin wondered if he was ready to hear half the shit that was going to be said to him in that club. "Thanks- alright, how are we both getting there? Do you have your own ride, or should I be letting you take my car and grabbing my bike?" He asked, getting back to business. He figured he'd spare the other- he was going to be wearing less than what he was at the club, might as well adjust him slowly. He pulled the hoodie off, revealing a zipper running top, half unzipped. You could see the black 'x's on his chest peeking out under the dark red fabric._

_"I figured this was enough to sell myself into the doors, they'll have me switch to something else of course." He folded up the hoodie, making a note to throw it in the trunk. After they left this room, he was leaving the precinct after all._

"I can get a cab, therefore if we both need to leave fast we can just use one car," Connor said. 

He tried to keep his gaze on the wall but it was impossible. He glanced at Gavin and almost shouted in shock, but thankfully didn't. Gavin looked... well he had no other word for it ... Hot. Really hot. He quickly stared back at the wall, trying to breathe normally. 

_"Good thinking. I hope you don't mind older cars." His was a 2018 Audi and was in better condition than himself honestly. He looked at Connor as the other seemed to be breathing oddly._

_"Hey, shake the nerves out now. You'll do fine, I know it's your first time but you'll see it's a lot less terrifying than you think." He assured, before getting up. "Alright, you can interface with my phone right? I'll always keep it in my back pocket, that way it looks natural for you to get the info off of it. Wanna try interfacing with it now?" He held it out, having already turning the screen lock off._

Connor nodded, he didn't really trust himself to speak clearly. He closed his eyes briefly, even though he didn't actually need to interface. Once he did he made sure not to look at anything, he didn't want to invade his privacy. 

"Thanks," Connor mumbles quietly as he slowly opens his eyes. He's glad that Gavin didn't figure it out, but it did make him worry about what was going to happen. 

He knew that he would have to show interest in Gavin, which of course he could do, but they'd have to get rather close. Connor knew he is able to restrain himself, but it was still nerve-wracking.

_Gavin quickly made a folder in both his audio files and image files. 'the cute ones' and 'my cats are too vocal'. "Alright I made two new folders that all files should directly go into- my cats are too vocal will be whatever the microphone picks up. The cute ones are any pictures I get. In case someone looks at my phone. The mic is already set to break up recordings in five-minute batches so we're good on that."_

_He placed his phone back, then walked over, chewing his lip. He needed to clear the air- to get rid of guilt, but then he realized it wasn't the time. "You sure you're good with this, with it being me and all?"_

Connor frowned slightly, "why wouldn't I be?" Maybe Gavin didn't want to work with him and this was him trying to tell him. They couldn't exactly get someone else now, though. 

"I understand if you don't want to work with me, as I am an android, I do not see why I would not want to work with you," Connor said, meeting Gavin's eyes.

_Gavin blinked, his turn to look very confused. "Uh- cause I treated you like actual shit before the revolution?" He reminded him, guessing it was time to clear the air. "Shit- you're a deviant now Connor- there's a difference between that and when you first joined."_

_He still felt stupefied that Connor thought that, then again, Gavin had been avoiding him. He wondered how Connor would react knowing how he spent the night he freed the tower- after getting his ass kicked._

"As you said, I am a deviant now, but I wasn't then. I don't hold what you said against you. I did subtly fight my coding but even though I was mostly machine... I, sometimes I think... Nevermind." Connor said, he went to fix his tie but let his hand drop when he remembered he wasn't wearing it. 

"I respect you as a fellow officer, and I would like to think we could be friends. Once you realized we could feel, you changed your mind and that is what matters." Connor said with a slight shrug.

_It was visible, the way Gavin relaxed. "Oh." He said at first, then he hung his head, hand coming up to fuss with the back of his neck, rubbing in a circle as he started laughing. In Italian, he quietly mumbled 'fucking idiot', before grinning up to the other. "I've been avoiding having this talk for months, cause, not gonna lie, I've had my ass kicked enough by you for the next decade. And here you are, already ready to move on." He felt dumb._

_"Phck, I would love to have more time for this talk but- we need to get going. But uh- if there's no- ya know... Alright, good. Great. Phcking hell." He shook his head at himself, hand dropping and heading to the door. "Then let's get going. We got a shit-head to nail."_

Connor chuckled slightly and gently bumped Gavin. "Let's do this," Connor said. 

He did sometimes miss have a clear mission, and he was glad he had one now to focus on.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like before:
> 
> Me: Normal  
> Lupo: Italicized  
> Text message: Underlined

_ Really, the maid cafe was worse than this. Gavin was lead in, after being looked over, and was glad he slipped into a role already as someone fingered the loop on his collar. It barely affected him, only sending a lazy grin to the other dancer. He was instructed to change in the dressing rooms, a pair of tight red booty shorts and a matching vest being what he was shoved into. Not too much different, but definitely a lot more exposing. It all matched at least, and he was lead to one of the stages. He listened as the rules were read out to him. Money turned in at the end of the night, only use your phone if your watchers allow it, no dawdling. Basic club rules, though noticeably they kept him from meeting the owner yet. _

_ They went through the different areas, and Gavin was only mildly concerned seeing poles in the private rooms. 'Need to prove myself to get back here it looks like.' He made note to see if Connor could get a private invite to those rooms, he had a feeling they were for more than private dances. _

_ The beginning of the night was slow, Gavin counting out four other dancers, each with their own color. He gained a couple of people but was eyeing the purple one's table, where the men were more focused on the group of them and not the dancer. He saw one exchange go down, and then smirked to someone in front of him that was reaching. 'Purple table seems to be the hot spot at the beginning of the night.' He kept his eyes out though, waiting for the crowd to pick up. _

Connor watched as people slowly went in. Once there were enough people he decided it was the right time. He got past the bouncer easily, as he was a human. Connor kept his head down as he walked through. He had his hood up so that he wouldn't be recognized as easily. 

The main room already smelled of alcohol and sweat. The place was incredibly popular, as many people crowded around. 

He glanced at the dancer's and kept his face neutral when he saw Gavin. He really did know how to dance. 

Connor blinked, and moves towards him, but kept an eye open. He stayed far enough away to not draw attention, but close enough so that Gavin could see him. 

It was almost intoxicating watching Gavin dance. He could tell others enjoyed it as well. 

Connor glanced at the other dancers and noted that it was a mix of androids and humans. At least they had that going for them. 

He jumped slightly when he felt large hands grab his exposed waist. He fought back the urge to elbow the man who grabbed him. The man pressed himself against Connor's back, and Connor could smell the alcohol on his breath. 

"Get off," Connor said, turning around to face the man. The guy gave him a dirty look and flipped him off before walking off. That was surprisingly easy.

_ If Gavin was honest? He fucking loved the attention. If felt good to have eyes on him, and while he kept a lookout for deals, he noticed they mainly focused around blue and purple. His crowd was more handsy drunks with too much money. When he saw Connor, he smiled a little more genuinely to him, making sure there was no one trying to buy time with him. He saw how it went with the other dancers- another staff member would pull them down if given enough money to buy out a dancer. _

_ He hoped Fowler had given Connor a 'budget' for this, if not he was going to have to help out. His attention was broken momentarily as he saw someone moved towards the back rooms- if was a group of people, and there was a large bag. 'Biocomponents, yellow dancer'. Alright, he just had to be better than everyone. Gavin always did have a competitive side. _

Connor walked up towards Gavin and smiled. He knew it was time to play the part. He gave a whistle and reached for his wallet. He took out a ten and watched how the others have their tips and copied them. 

He kept his eyes on Gavin, watching where he was looking. When he saw Gavin look towards the private rooms he knew that's where they needed to go. 

With his hearing, he should be able to hear talking in the room beside them so he just had to select the right one. 

Connor walked up to the staff. "How much for a private room?" Connor asks. 

"Depends on how long and what you want." The lady said over the loud music. 

"As long as possible... And are there cameras?" Connor asks. 

"Hmm nope, but you should know, you only can do what the dancer says is fine. If we find out you went against them... Let's just say it won't end well for you." The lady said. He scanned her quickly and found a small gun on her. 

So they were armed. Not surprisingly considering what was going on. 

With no cameras in the back, this would be easy, though he had a feeling it was going to be more complicated. There would probably be a guard outside of whichever room was the one they did deals in. So they wouldn't be able to go through the door. That also meant that there was probably another way in. 

The guard would also make it harder if the two rooms were close. Assuming they are using an Android, it should be able to hear what was going on in the room beside them. 

They'd have to at least make it sound like Gavin was actually going him a private show. Or... They'd have to find a way to make the android not want to listen in on them.

_ Connor got his attention, and Gavin blew a kiss back at him, playing to the role of course. He wasn't surprised when one of the staff came up to him, wearing an all green dancer's outfit. "You've been requested, new guy! Let's go!" They had to yell over the noise, and as Gavin walked past the crowd, he felt hands on his sides. It was all brushed off, of course, he couldn't be fazed as long as they didn't grab for his phone. _

_ He was lead up to Connor, smiling sweetly to him and tilting his head. "Follow me, sir!" He turned, expecting both of them to follow him. As Connor predicted, there was an armed guard standing to the right of the private rooms hallway entrance, looking over to the trio. The guy in green stopped at the entrance. "Choose a room, two and five are occupied." The guy was speaking to Gavin, but Gavin had a way to play this, turning to Connor. He held out his hands, smiling to him. _

_ Voice softer, he spoke to Connor, innocent enough that the guard in the hallway rolled his eyes. "What's your lucky number cutie?" He was hoping Connor could hear which room the deals were happening in- there was no door doors- just curtains. 'So no one can barricade the rooms and hurt the dancers. At least that's nice.' _

"Hmmm, I'll go with three." He hoped that two held what they wanted. He could definitely still hear room five since there were no doors. That made everything easier. It also helped he could record audio without anyone noticing. 

Connor reached out to grab Gavin's hand and gave him a wink. He really had to sell being completely distracted by Gavin. 

He stepped closer to Gavin and slowly looked him over. 

"Alright, you have up to two hours." The guy in green said and held open the curtain to room three.

_ Gavin thanked him, and pulled Connor in, voice still sweet but lower. "Is it your first time?" He asked, voice soft and calculated as hands traveled up to the jacket. He knew they had to sound official, no doubt that the guard was listening in. So he took control, allowing Connor to focus on getting information. Once the curtain was fully closed, Gavin's hands moved to take out his phone, and he mouthed 'message me' to the other.  _

_ Then he pushed Connor to sit. "I'll have you know, short of getting undressed, I really don't mind where a cute guy like you puts his hands." _

Connor mumbled a quick yes before sitting. Connor rested his hand on his legs, not sure what to do with them.

He easily connected to Gavin's phone. He tuned out everything except for Gavin and the talking from the other rooms. He could hear quite talking about money, but they seemed to be using code words. He needed them to talk more before he could figure it out. 

"Aw, you sure you don't wanna strip... I mean you're mostly there already." Connor said, sending a message to Gavin's phone telling him he needed more time.

_ Gavin could easily get that for him, simply sitting on the other's lap. "I'd love to, really. I bet you know just how to treat me right- but I don't think it would be appreciated. Maybe I could do something better for you~" There was definitely a purr. Gavin mouthed 'keep talking', and then messaged the other. _

_ The main hotspots for red ice seem to be the tables towards the private rooms. I'll try to take their spot. I've seen three people enter the other room with a large bag. Confirmed one sighting of red ice. _

_ He sighed softly as if he was actually doing more than just sitting there. _

"I'd treat you right, but I'm interested in what you have in mind," Connor said, letting out a low growl. He hoped it sounded authentic. 

He read over the message and nodded. He was slowly starting to understand the code, but it wasn't quite there. They just needed more and then they'd have them. 

Connor was momentarily distracted by Gavin but he tried to keep his face neutral and his body in check. It felt like he was on fire being this close to him.

_ "Let's see how long you can last." He had to admit, hearing the other growl was definitely doing things to him. And he couldn't hide it- his shoulders and neck went red slightly. _

_ Gavin kept an eye on the time for the other, and every so often would let out a giggle or a sigh. Honestly, he'd love to actually be dancing- see if Connor could manage, but the job came first. He sent another message to Connor. _

_ Don't forget to nab what I've got off my phone. No photos yet, but I'll have some by tomorrow. _

Connor nodded and went to the files. He went through what Gavin had but kept listening to the others. 

After Gavin let out a rather long sigh, he decided to play it up by moaning quite loudly, but not loud enough to be suspicious. 

It was odd making these noises while just sitting there, and it made him grin slightly. 

"Fuck, you're beautiful," Connor said. It wasn't that he never cursed, but he didn't feel the need too, so it felt odd coming out of his mouth. He wasn't lying though, Gavin is beautiful. 

He pushed the rising heat down and focused on the mission. He made sure he was recording the audio, though he felt awkward that it would pick up him and Gavin too.

_ That effectively broke Gavin, and it was obvious, a glare being shot at the other when the heat on his face shown through the makeup he wore. 'Dirty move Connor dirty move.' He couldn't take any more of that- the compliment, moan, and the fact he finally heard Connor curse- he stood up, knowing he'd feel warmer if the other would touch him. His phone got put away, and he looked to the poles, grinning to himself. "And you're damn handsome, but I don't think it's the compliments turning you on, is it?" His voice was teasing, lines he'd say if this was real. Tomorrow was payback. He checked the time again and mouthed thirty minutes. _

Connor startled slightly when Gavin got up. He did his best to situate himself so his problem wasn't showing but the pants he wore didn't his much. He just hoped Gavin wouldn't notice. 

He did everything in his power to only focus on the talking. He tried to not look at Gavin but that was impossible. He tried to keep his face neutral, which only succeed at slightly. 

"Hmm, I think it's just you in general," Connor said. 

They just made a trade. I'll be able to run their voice so we can track them down. We still need more info on whoever is running this.

He didn't know if Gavin would get that... But now that they got as much as they could, Connor wished he could actually make Gavin make the sounds he was making before. 

It shocked him slightly to think that, but he quickly accepted it.

_ Gavin felt his pocket buzz, jumping at the feeling and checking the message. He nodded, quickly messaging the other back. _

_ We got more nights of this, but I'll see if I can seduce one of the guys. If we leave now, they should be coming out as well. _

_ Gavin deleted the whole conversation off his phone and placed it back in his pocket. He walked over to Connor, then ran a finger under his chin. He needed the other to sound flustered. "I think I've teased you enough huh?" He hadn't looked down, he was avidly trying not to because the idea of actually dancing privately of Connor was just too strong. _

"Y-yes." Connor stuttered out looking up at Gavin. He didn't really like the idea of him seducing someone else...not that he was seduced. Ok, he totally was but that's beside the point. 

"You've done so well," Connor said with a smirk. It was too tempting not to, so he gently placed his hands on Gavin's hips. Gentle enough that he could move back without any resistance.

_ Like hell he was moving back, the hands on his hip felt cool to his heated skin and he actually let out a real sigh, shivering softly. "You too. Come back again tomorrow night, I'd love to make a regular out of you~" His hands went on top of Connor's, pulling the other to stand. He mouthed 'escort me out', knowing Connor would need to get a glimpse of these guys. And he had a plan to manage it. As predicted, he heard the curtain shift in the room next to theirs. That's when he actually pulled away, walking away with a whistle. _

_ He was hoping to get one of the other guy's attention so Connor could scan their face. _

Connor followed him out, a hand on the small of his back. He made sure his face looked blissful. 

One of the men turned around and that's all Connor needed. He quickly scanned his face and stored it so they could run him through the system fully after. They could arrest anyone yet until they knew they could get the one in charge. 

Connor scanned as much as he could from the other people leaving. He could hear that someone was still in the room, and he had a feeling that they could be the one in charge. 

"I'll be sure to come back tomorrow," Connor said, pulling Gavin slightly closer to him. His skin was incredibly warm against his palm, as he hooked his arm around Gavin's waist. The man was still looking so Connor leaned in and placed a gentle kiss onto Gavin's cheek. 

_ It took so much effort to not melt. He hoped Connor remembered none of this, because Gavin had weaknesses, and Connor was playing them to fit a role and it wasn't fair. "I'll be sure to make full use of that pole then~" He promised, and then his heart fucking skyrocketed at the kiss, Gavin laughing softly to shake off the sudden nerves. He knew it was cause the guy was looking, but it didn't stop his body from betraying him. Once they left into the main area, Gavin reached up, smoothing a hand against the other's cheek. _

_ "See you tomorrow handsome." And he offered his- attempt- at a wink, knowing he absolutely couldn't. He walked off, seeing one of the tables he wanted open. 'Bingo.' And he just climbed onto it, resuming dancing as if his entire head wasn't wrapped around Connor. He hoped the other would hang out there for a bit, now having an excuse to be close to the red ice action area. _

Connor watched for a few minutes more. It was hard to leave, but he needed to. He had a certain problem that needed tending to without other people around. 

He wondered if Gavin felt the same, he certainly looked like he enjoyed himself, but that could just be acting. He hoped it wasn't though. 

_ The rest of the night was pretty much uneventful. He did get one more request, a group of four taking him back to work the pole. Unfortunately, there were no deals that night, but Gavin saw as they used. 'Testing to see my reaction'. He only grinned, and when the hour was up, he overheard them give their approval. _

_ He went home that night with a particular smirk, and the compliment repeating in his head. He spent the night complaining to Doa about both being unfair. He did send Connor a message, now having the other's number. _

_ Goodnight Connor, you did good. _


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow this chapter is super long.
> 
> Me: Normal  
> Lupo: Italicized  
> Text message: Underlined

_ The next day, he got showered and fixed up, making sure to keep his phone ready for this. He went back to the club when he was supposed to, and instead of red, he wore pure black today. He managed to get some bracelets to match his collar and earrings, and now he couldn't help but laugh at the fact he looked like he walked out of an S&M advert. He got the table he wanted, and when the place opened, he didn't hold back. He needed eyes on him- all he needed was one good photo of something going down and some time spent closer to the crowd- and they'd nail this place for red ice. _

_ And it worked. A couple of hours in and Gavin couldn't stop the feral grin as hands ran along his arms. He got close to them to let them 'feel' him up and sweet-talked his way into a group photo, where the red ice was clearly on the floor, but they were all too gone to notice. He couldn't wait to show Connor that, talking with everyone before he got back on the stage. Now to find Connor… _

Connor looked himself over. He did have other options, but...at least he thought Gavin would like this. He had a black button-down that had the top buttons open to show his chest. He looked at the message again and blushed. It probably didn't mean anything, but it still made his pump race. 

He got to the bar and walked in, looking for Gavin, he wasn't sure what he'd be wearing tonight. 

He looked up at the dances and stumbled slightly. He knew Gavin would be dancing again, but it still sent a shock through his body. 

He walked up and grinned. "Want to get a private room again?" He called out, leaning against the stage. Gavin looked particularly pleased so he hoped he got more evidence.

_ It would've been concerning how fast Gavin dropped if it wasn't a perfectly executed glade downwards. "Aw, you came back~! Of course, I'll be waiting for you. I think you'll love what I've been working up." His voice was playful and teasing, and he stood again while he waited for the other to get him out. He hadn't seen the guys from the night before going back, but yellow was missing again. He learned there were only certain colors, three backups at all times, or the stages were empty. Only one backup was on the stage, so yellow had to be the only one back there. _

_ Hopefully. Gavin seen as several guys tried to push Connor out of the way, and he bet the other could pinpoint the moment he almost broke, eyes turning just a bit steely as he looked to them. "Boys, boys, behave now, you'll make me cry." That seemed to calm them, but his voice was sufficiently faker that time he spoke. _

Connor nodded and went to pay for the time again. The man working went to get Gavin. He pulled Gavin down a bit too rough and Connor stepped between them, glaring at the man. 

"Seems like you got a protective one." The man snorted. Connor also glared at the men around them who were pawing at Gavin. He did his best to put himself in between them and Gavin. 

"He's all mine for two hours," Connor said loudly. The men around frowned and started moving to different locations now that Gavin was no longer dancing.

_ Gavin let out an actual laugh, and really, he was glad that Connor wasn't scanning him. "Oh, I don't mind." His voice was a natural purr and he followed the guy despite the roughness. He did actually plan to dance for Connor today, and when he saw the guard this time, he grinned cheshire at him. 'He might fuck off this time.' He turned to Connor, purring softly and shooing the other guy away. _

_ "Pick a number, any number." He had made a habit of letting his customers pick the number, so the guard didn't blink. However, if he was actually excited for this, it was his business and his own. _

Connor swallowed. He had his back to the guard so he couldn't see his expression. Though Gavin could. He could feel his face flush and he did his best to look relaxed. 

"Uh, number four," Connor said, clearing his throat. He wasn't sure if he was going to last for two hours. He didn't want to make Gavin uncomfortable, though he did seem at ease currently.

_ Gavin pulled him into the room, closing the curtain behind him. "Sit." He ordered and briefly wondered if Connor was more the one to be ordered, or give orders. "I hope you thought of me as much as I thought of you." He pulled out his phone and then sent a message. _

_ I want to actually dance, are you ok with that? Also, phone is loaded, I got evidence of red ice deals, audio and visual. _

_ He flat out handed the phone over, knowing he could interface with it at any point. "Hold that for me, babe, gravity won't like me in a moment." _

Connor smirked and stood for a second longer before sitting. 

"I'm ready for whatever you want to show me." Connor said, leaning back. He held the phone in his hand and quickly downloaded the info, but he didn't look at it yet. 

"I thought about you all night." Connor sighs out. He'd be embarrassed if Gavin actually knew that the statement was true. 

He didn't know why Gavin wanted to dance but he was most definitely not going to stop him.

_ Gavin made sure to mouth 'attention', nodding his head to the occupied stall. But then he started, laughing softly as hands messed up Connor's hair. "I'm glad, cause you kept me up all night." Gavin walked backward, then grabbed the pole, grinning to the other mischievously. In a practiced routine, he swung himself around and up, breathing in deeply and then moving. He was built for more than fighting, showing up flexibility and stamina so easily. _

_ He made sure to keep his eyes on Connor, wanting to see him lose control, just a little bit. Holding himself upside down, he reached for the other. "Don't forget, you're allowed to touch- I'd encourage it." And then back to moving. _

Connor sat there for a second stunned. He knew Gavin was fit, but it was another to watch him. He was somehow incredibly graceful with the way he moved. 

He went to fix his tie but rolled his eyes at himself. He really needed to stop doing that. 

Connor wasn't sure if Gavin was actually ok with him touching him or if it was an act. 

He slowly stood and stepped forward. He touched Gavin softly on his back, feeling the muscles underneath. 

Connor kept his recording on so he wouldn't miss anything from the other stall, but his attention was almost completely on Gavin. 

"You're beautiful," Connor mumbled. He only realized after that he said it and took a small step back. It was obvious he didn't say it just for show, and that worried him. He really didn't want Gavin to hate him.

_ Gavin arched into the touch, glad that the other liked it. Settling on the floor when he heard the words, he huffed, breathing slightly faster, and noticed the other looked shocked. 'Did he mean it?' Gavin moved closer, leaning up to pull the other in so he could actually whisper to him. So quietly, he wanted Connor to relax and assure him this was all fine. _

_ "Thanks, Con. You look fucking great too." He made sure no one else could hear that, scraping a bracelet on the metal behind him. Voice back to normal volume, he placed his hand on the other's chest. "Sit back and relax, let me take care of you. Just listen and feel." Soft hidden instruction. _

Connor smiled softly and nodded sitting down. 

"Thank you, I'm sure I'll enjoy this," Connor said, raising one eyebrow. He didn't hold back his expressions this time, letting himself watch Gavin as much as he wanted.

_ "Let me know if you want something, or somewhere paid attention to." Gavin followed him, starting to do a calm lap dance, though for both their sakes, he kept from outright grinding against him. This way he could mouth to him. 'Let me know what and who you need for the bio-components. They don't make those deals out front.' He was breathing a bit more, feeling heat race through him through all this. He thought of the times he did this for others, feeling nothing, then Connor of all fucking people manages to break him down, and doesn't even realize it. _

Connor nods and places a hand on Gavin's hip. With the other, he softly touches his face. Gavin is so warm compared to him. Of course, he was warm but it was different than this type. He could feel the life in Gavin. He wished he had the same. 

"I trust you," Connor whispered quiet enough that only Gavin would be able to hear.

_ He didn't know how Connor expected him to behave. His face turned to press lips against that hand, eyes never leaving his face. "Focus." He didn't want this to end, but if they missed something due to their own inability to focus, he would have to spend more time here. "I hope you enjoyed that- I haven't pole danced like that for anyone yet." It was true. For the other group, he spun a few times, hung onto the pole and bent- it was enough. He was absolutely honest when he wanted to tease the other. _

"I am, I'm very good at multitasking," Connor muttered. "And you are beautiful, you have excellent control," Connor said. 

He rubbed slow gentle circles onto Gavin's waist. He slowly ran his other hand through Gavin's hair. It was so soft, and he wanted to play with his hair for forever.

_ "It's a good skill to have. Makes certain things a lot more fun though... I'm not speaking from recent experience, unfortunately." Gavin was losing the line of role and real, and he entirely blamed it on the soft touches, leaning his head into his hand again. "Ah, phck." He wanted to tilt his head forward, see if the other would figure out his weak spot, 'he's smart and already driving me nuts', but then remembered the collar covering it. He eventually stilled, sitting himself in Connor's lap and just allowing them to be close, his own hands on Connor's shoulders. _

_ "I want to do so much more, you are driving me crazy." It was absolutely the truth. He hoped this op didn't stay in the past, but he knew that it probably would. Connor had many more options in it, and a sharp inhale was needed to force the self-conscious thoughts. "How much time do we have left?" _

Connor used both hands to make sure Gavin was steady on his lap. He did worry that he was holding on too tight though. 

"We have exactly one hour, 23 minutes, and 45 seconds," Connor said. 

"What do you want to do?" Connor asked, his voice coming out breathy.

_ Gavin looked him over, before grinning. "I wonder how much I can tease you." He finished the sentence through mouthing it. 'Before you snap.' He looked down, then rolled his hips- not particularly dancing, just teasing the other. He reached over to grab his phone, quickly texting the other. _

_ Are you fine with this? This is more than you signed up for. _

_ Even with how tight he was being held, he was still asking, making sure. He didn't want to push a line- fuck up the mission in any way. _

Connor smirked and gripped Gavin's hips hard and pushed him down slightly onto Connor's growing erection. 

"I'm ok with it if you are." He whispered in Gavin's ear.

_ He felt heat spike in him and quickly nodded. "You're a handful," he teased, loud enough to keep the guard happy, but he started to slowly roll his hips, hands sliding down Connor's chest. They couldn't do anything but tease for now. "You have no idea how you make me." He purred out, letting his head fall onto Connor's shoulder. _

_ He really shouldn't do this. They had business dealings beside them, a guard outside, and he knew somehow this was going to bite him in the ass. But he whined when he felt his own length strain against the too-tight fabric. "Lucky you, you at least have pants." _

Connor chuckled and moved his hands towards Gavin's ass, grabbing him slightly. "Hmm, I'm not the only handful." He says before pushing his hips up. 

"We could solve the pants problem if you wanted to," Connor said before placing a kiss behind Gavin's ear.

_ Gavin arched into the touch, gasping slightly and biting his lip as the other pushed against him. Maybe this was a bad idea. In an hour he had to go out to a bunch of touchy fucks, worked up and needy and Gavin didn't like that idea. But it wasn't like he could stop. _

_ "That's so tempting- so fucking tempting. But the- phck-" He almost slipped up and the kiss was close. He hung on a little tighter as he braced himself against the bench, rolling back into the other's hips. _

Connor moaned slightly and closed his eyes. He was so incredibly glad he could feel and enjoy this. 

He used one of his hands to pull Gavin's head back by his hair so he could kiss his neck, and gently nibble on it. He wanted it to bruise, wanted others to see it.

_ 'Bingo'. Gavin stuttered, whole body jerking as the other kissed his neck. The soft 'please' was absolutely genuine, and Gavin pulled the other closer. Fuck where they were, fuck the op, fuck everything- he wanted Connor and he was- almost absolutely gone. He was just aware enough to hear footsteps. "Shit- C-Andy- Andy footsteps." He hissed, and he wanted to cry as he pulled back. He just managed to stand up, and not look like he was totally breaking the rules when the curtain was pulled open. _

__ _ The guard was android, LED still intact. "Everything good in here?" He asked, eyeing the two. _

Connor smiled at the guard, looking completely composed. "Of course, I must say you run an amazing business, he's probably the most handsome man I've seen in any bar around here." Connor said, smirking at Gavin. 

Connor looked Gavin over and felt like pulling him in right then and there, in front of the guard. He just wanted him back on his lap making those amazing noises again.

_ The guard raised an eyebrow, and Gavin knew he didn't need to be scanned- it was obvious he was riled up. "Just treating a regular right sir." He said, voice so strained into the sweet tone.  _

_ But the guard backed off. "Remember the rules," was all he said before he backed out again, and Gavin shook slightly with need.  _

_ "You are- absolutely unbelievably the most teasing-" He cut himself off, pulling Connor up. "I'm going to suffer all night thanks to you," he hissed, glaring at him, though it was more out of need than anything else. 'And now he's probably listening real close.' He mouthed, meaning they couldn't get away with something even if they wanted. _

Connor smiled at him before pushing him against the wall, soft enough to not alert the guard.

"If you want... I could take care of your problem." Connor said, letting his thigh press against Gavin. Something inside him wanted to make Gavin beg for him, and he was almost willing to let it out. He decided against it and hoped he be able to do that at another time.

_ His mind was a repeat of 'fuck', and it was obvious the offer was tempting. "I'm not someone who leaves his partners unsatisfied." He repeated back, just wrapping his arms around him then. Quickly, he kissed the other's jaw, then again. He wanted so much, and he knew he was fucked. "After all this is over- I owe you a real dance." He muttered, before pushing the other back. _

_ "We- I- should get back to work before I lose this job." Gavin hated being the rational one. "I like this job Andy, and you should get back to yours. Lots to take home and think over." It was all innocent enough, but he finally realized- if the guard came back, it was because the other's had left probably. They needed to get the owner. _

"Then I'll be expecting it to be the best dance I'll ever see." Connor growled and kissed at Gavin's neck once more before stepping back. 

"We still have time, and I'm keeping track of the conversations. We should have even evidence by hopefully tomorrow." Connor whispers.

_ He debated what he wanted. Then the other kissed his neck again and if he was an android, he would've sparked. "Then- fuck- fuck me up. Make sure these fuckers know not to touch for the rest of the night... No rules against it." He said, grinning as he reached for the other. "I'm going to owe you so much- I have too many ideas of how to pay you back for this." He promised, and really hoped he would get the chance to pay him back. He wanted this to be a thing, he wanted to walk into the DPD, no collar, just thoroughly owned in every other way. _

Connor growled and grabbed his hair pulling to back to completely expose his neck. He sucked at it and but slightly. He liked at each bite, but kept going. He wanted to cover Gavin's whole neck. He bit slightly hard at the crook of his neck. He didn't want to draw blood, but he wants to hear him. 

Connor used the hand that was not occupied to reach down and rub Gavin through his pants, though they were closer to underwear than pants. 

"If someone else touches you like this I will rip their hands off." Connor growls, kissing Gavin's jaw.

_ There was nothing fair about this, Gavin knew what he asked for, and later he would have to reveal that 'hey my neck is actually a weak spot- makes sense I wear collars huh'. Right now, he was squirming, a mess of 'please' and sighs. He would be so much more vocal if he could. "Phck- I won't- won't let them. Yours- phck." His voice broke slightly, and he moved his head, kissing the other on the lips quickly. "Yours." A promise- Gavin was going to be very careful who touched him after this. He wouldn't be surprised if the guard came back again- he wasn't able to keep quiet. He almost said the other's name. _

Connor smiles and pushed as close to Gavin as he could. "Mine." Connor said before kissing Gavin firmly on the lips. He looped a hand through the ring on the collar to pull Gavin to him. He didn't care if the guard came in. If he did he'd disable him if need be. He wanted Gavin more than he wanted anything before.

_ Gavin kissed back happily, arms wrapping around the other. In the very back of his mind, he reminded himself to get Fowler a coffee mug. Right now, he pulled away from the kiss to return them to Connor. "Hey- can I even leave marks on you?" He also seemed to pout, before kissing down the other's jaw and neck anyways. _

Connor quickly changed a setting and tilted his head to the side. 

"You can now." He moaned. He never knew why he had this setting, but now he gets it. He wants to hug whoever thought of it. Probably Kamski... Maybe hugging him would be a bad idea. 

"I'll leave this setting on all the time if you want. Though that means I'll show all the damage I get unless I repair it." Connor said, his eyes fluttering closed.

_ Now able to leave a mark, he planned on doing just that, lighter mark but many in number. He barely spoke, not wanting to break his pattern. "Mmm, if you get into a fight I wouldn't but- if you're coming over-" He left the blank there, rejoicing in the moan he got as he got closer to his jaw again. "Phck- that's not fair- you're so damn handsome." He whined, nipping just to get a reaction. Of course the fucker bruised blue, the small, faint blossoms all over his neck and the one darker spot from the nip. 'I'm too lucky.' _

Connor sighed and slowly brought his hand to the edge of Gavin's pants. 

"I am 99.99% sure that you are by far more handsome." Connor said. "Can I?" He asks softly pushing just his finger tips under the fabric.

_ Gavin whined. "You'll let me pay you back later?" He nodded despite it, losing track, and care, of time. If they got stopped they got stopped. First time offense, he'd get a pat on the wrist probably. _

"I count on it." Connor said. He slipped his hand under the fabric and cupped Gavin. He kissed him deeply. He loved hearing all the noises and couldn't wait to hear all the ones he could bring out of him. 

_ There was a moan muffled by the kiss, his hips spazzing as the other cupped him. He tried to kiss back, but he couldn't focus. His hands moved to Connor's hips, pulling him closer. He pulled out of the kiss, whispering quietly. "Connor please." He needed anything, but he needed him. _

"What do you want?" Connor asks, pulling on his collar slightly. If they never did this again he would shut down, he wanted all of it. To hold him after, to make him breakfast, to argue when he's grumpy. He just wanted him.

_ "You!" He hissed, baring his neck for the other as he bucked his hips. "You- something, anything- please." He couldn't believe he went from thinking Connor would never forgive him, to thinking he couldn't stand the idea of not dating him. He owed Connor actual dates- and wondered how the other would handle his cats. The want to see him, relaxed and with a cat on him- it was nearly as strong as the need in the other's hands. _

Connor smiled and bit at Gavin's neck, drawing a small amount of blood that his brain unhelpfully told him about. He rubbed him harder, pushing his body against Gavin.

_ That got him to cry out, turning red as he knew that was definitely heard. He could feel himself get close, and just as he began shaking, pulling tight against Connor, the curtain swung open. Gavin- did not squeak, clinging to Connor. "Alright you two! Break it up! Break it up break it up!" Gavin felt ice in his veins at being caught. _

Connor turned and glared that the other android, his LED turned a bright red. 

"We both want it. I paid for the room. Fuck off." Connor snaps. He doesn't mean to be so harsh, but he could tell Gavin was close. He wrapped his arms around him protectively.

_ The guard rolled his eyes. "That's nice- we paid for the outfits and to clean the rooms. Wait til he's off work, then we don't give a fuck. Now. Out." The guy folded his arms, and Gavin just melted, fear and embarrassment at being caught rolling off of him. _

_ "Mmmm, Andy- the job... The job..." He vaguely whispered, switching to Italian, "beat him up later and help me walk..." He felt like a liquid right now. _

Connor nodded and easily supported Gavin. He send one last threatening glare at the android before leaving. 

"Are you ok?" Connor asks quietly. He debates for a second before picking Gavin up completely, bride style. He wanted to hold him, and he had a good reason to carry him too, so it was a win win.

_ "Mmm- it's been- a long time since someone's edged me to that fucking point." He said, feeling completely out of it. He leaned his head on Connor, laughing at the other as he was picked up. "Tincaaann- I still gotta- gotta dance. Got a couple more hours yet... You sticking around?" _

"Of course. I'll stay as long as you want me." Connor said, he knew he meant that in multiple ways. 

"Rest for at least five minutes, please." Connor says. He places a gentle kiss onto Gavin's forehead. 

_ Gavin held onto the other, not able to deny him anything. He realized Connor had control of him, simply because he wanted the other to be happy. And this was fine. He did lean up to return it. When the minutes passed though, Gavin squirmed. "Alright alright, put me down. I'm going to be a livewire tonight." He joked, though it was true. _

_ "Time to tackle the rest of the night?" He said, fixing himself up somewhat. He was marked to hell and back, and had an actual smile- not a grin or something sickly sweet. _

"Was that an Android pun?" Connor chuckled and gently out him down. He stayed close just in case though. 

"It is going to be hard to see all those men pawing at you." Connor said, frowning slightly at the thought.

_ "Just think, half of them will likely be in jail by tomorrow... And none of them will get to hear what you did." He assured, turning to steal one more kiss. "And of course it was an android pun. See you on the dancefloor." Then he moved- heading to the stage. He didn't really feel like dancing, but they had another night of this. He tried to compensate by only focusing on Connor. _

When Gavin was finally able to leave Connor was instantly by his side. He wanted to scoop him up again in his arms and never let go. 

"You danced beautifully. I almost punched seven differ people though." Connor chuckled. It did take a lot of willpower not to.

_ He was relieved by that, sighing and wrapping his arms around the other. "Well, on the plus side, we very much solidified why you keep requesting me." He teased, before leaning in for a kiss. His normal clothes was a croptop and normal skinny jeans, the croptop having 'LOUD' in rainbow print. _

_ "Do you- want to come over tonight?" He looked away, still afraid of the no. Still afraid this was just a mission. _

Connor turned his head back towards him and kissed him firmly. "I'd love to. I'll message Hank to let him now I won't be going back home tonight." Connor said. 

"Oh... You're going to be bruised for quite a while, is that ok?" Connor asks touchings Gavin's neck which was already full of hickeys. I loved seeing them, but didn't want Gavin to get embarrassed.

_ Melting a bit, kissing back as much he could, Gavin jumped when the other touched his neck. "That's more than fine. I uh- uh- I have very few limits Connor." And very few past experiences that lasted long enough to do damage.  _

_ "I definitely welcome a little- or a lot- of bruising... If the noise wasn't obvious enough." He muttered the last bit. He pulled the other to his car, sitting down and taking the collar off. The collar was for the club- he had a neat collar he thought Connor would get a kick out of at home. _

Connor smiled and saw the skin exposed from the collar. He couldn't help but lean over and bit at the skin. He wanted to cover Gavin's whole neck, but they had time to do that tonight.

_ Gavin wanted to reprimand him for doing that while he was driving, but simply sighed at the contact. "Connor- out of the two of us, I expected me to be the one getting yelled at to behave." He teased, reaching over his hand for the other to take. _

_ He hated traffic, growling softly as they kept coming to stops. "This- this is the reason I walk to the DPD in the summer." He mumbled. _

Connor shrugged and took his hand. 

"I have found that I rather like doing what I want." He couldn't help but smirk at the innuendo, though he didn't mean it like that at first. 

Connor rubbed soft circles with his thumb to try to sooth Gavin.

_ That got a small smile, Gavin rolling his eyes at the joke. "I'm still amazed that you want me of all people." He admitted softly, not letting his insecurity fully take over. He was 90% nerves at this point. _

_ 'You're too good for me Connor.' He finally was able to pull off to the road leading to his apartment, and then he saw the building. It was rather tall, each floor having only two apartments. It was a place he had lived in for a while, not the best but, it was enough. There was a small underground lot for him to park in. "Don't worry- the place is sound proofed." Or at least, he had yet to get a noise complaint. _

"Of course I want you... You're... you're amazing." Connor says softly. He still isn't completely used to accepting and acknowledging his emotions, but he tried his best. 

"We wills be testing the sound proofing though." Connor says. He doesn't really want to change the subject, he just wants time to think of how to express his emotions in words.

_ That had him turning bright red, and he was glad it was somewhat darker down here. He squeezed the other's hand in response. He didn't know what to say himself, nothing that wasn't going to ruin this. "Come on, I owe you for earlier." He chose that instead, getting out of the car and moving to Connor's side to get his door. _

_ "I don't have nothing fancily flavored, but I do have thirium and a charger if you need anything tonight." He still never actually talked to him about all that. He guessed there would be time later to talk about the months they didn't talk. _

"I'm still above 50%, and I do not currently need thirium, thank you though." Connor stands and reaches out to take Gavin's hand, watching him to make sure it was ok.

_ "Shit- above 50? You might want it by the morning." He grinned to him, pulling closer to him when he stood up. The elevator took a few moments to get to them, but it opened up, and Gavin tugged them in. He pressed the fourthth from the top, looking to Connor. _

_ "You good with heights? I normally leave the blinds drawn when I leave anyways, but it's pretty high up." He didn't like living close to the same level someone could snoop into, especially since he often walked and slept with next to nothing on. _

Connor paused for a second before nodding. He wasn't fond of heights as long as he stayed away form edges. 

"I should be fine." It would probably be good for him to try to overcome his... uncomfortableness with heights.

_ Gavin raised an eyebrow. "You know I'm a detective right- should be means I'll keep the blinds drawn and the curtains closed." He said simply, not minding at all. He looked to the doors when they stopped, and then pulled Connor towards the left door. He searched his pocket for his keycard, a small square to scan against the lock. _

_ "I can't wait til you meet Doa." He said, tone filled with excitement. The door opened to a small hallway, Gavin taking off his shoes and setting them on a mat. Instantly, Connor was met with storm gray walls and dark wood floors, a deep red trim along the corners. _

Connor slowly walked in and took his shoes off too. He knew that wearing shoes in someone's home was different was everyone. He looks around, trying not to look at the results. He'd rather learn about Gavin the human way. 

He knew he liked dogs, and he had found that many other animals were wonderful. He hadn't got to meet a cat before though. He knew there was still the debate over cats and dogs. 

It was amazing to see Gavin excited and new that the cats must be amazing creatures.

_ He let go of him to let him explore, heading into the house. "Doa- here pretty girl-" A loud 'mew' came from the kitchen, then the sound of claws skittering. Bounding around the corner was a black cat- with only two noticeable markings. A glitching yellow LED, and two mis-matched eyes. One was blue, the other bright yellow.  _

_ "Hey there pretty girl, come meet a friend." He picked her up, then looked to Connor. He knew they got in the car a lot more heated, but he was always stupid when it came to his cats. "Doa- meet Connor." _

Connor smiled and held his hand out for Doa to sniff. He slowly started petting and his grin grew wider. He'd never interfaced with am android animal and briefly wondered what it would be like. 

"She's beautiful." Connor asks. He can't help but coo softly at her and her soft fur.

_ The cat mewled at the compliment, purring at the hand that pet her. "She was a lot of work. But worth it. A-Anyways, come on in Con." He pulled away, hiding his face in the cat and then sitting her on the couch. _

_ All of Gavin's apartment was modern, sleek, yet it wasn't impersonal or unused feeling. There was a large tv and a game system, with two exercise machines to it's side, facing the windows. The couch was a leather sectional, black, and it had a blanket draped across it and a pillow. There was a glass coffee table with some remotes and cat toys, and then there was a hallway with three doors down it, and an open kitchen as well. The kitchen had a door attached to it, a small room hidden away, but a hamper outside of it. Opposite of the tv and the couch, there was a small desk- a pinboard with pictures from a recently closed case on it, and a cat tower beside it. _

_ Noticeably, there was a lack of personal mementos. No pictures, no knick knacks that weren't cat or DPD related. It seemed Gavin didn't want personal in the main room. _

Connor looked around and hummed softly, "you have a wonderful home." 

He couldn't help but want to keep petting Doa. He wondered where the other cat was. 

"How long have you lived here?" Connor asks.

_ "Phck- since I was a teen. I had a roommate at first, but they moved to New York when I turned... Eh 23 I think." It was hard to remember, he tried not to think about it. "Since then, the rent's never went up despite everything going to shit- and that's mostly because half the tenants were deviants pre-revolution." Gavin said it so casually, forgetting he was supposed to hunt those two at one point. _

_ He went into the kitchen, getting a cup of water and downing it. "You sure you don't want anything?" _

"I'm positive, thank you." Connor said. Doa was incredibly friendly and he gladly scratched under his chin. When the cat started purring he paused for a second before replicating the sound. He didn't get to use this feature often and it was amusing to see Doa's reaction. 

He briefly wondered if android animals could deviate, but decided they could. They had similar coding so he didn't see why not.

_ He walked back out, just in time to see Connor purr back to Doa. "Cute," he mumbled, before wrapping his arms around Connor from behind, relaxing on him. "She likes you." He said softly, hiding his dopey smile by keeping out of Connor's sight. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Bastard skitter out of the bathroom. _

_ He was tiny, a ball of fluff. Gavin bet maine coon mix but he didn't know- he just picked up the kitten out of a 'free' box and fixed it up. The first time he pushed a cup off the table he earned the name Bastard. _

Connor hummed happily, leaning into Gavin. Touching like this felt nice, and calming. It made his insides feel warmer and made him never want to move. 

He turned to his to place a kiss against Gavin's cheek. He loved the feeling of Gavin against him.

"I'm glad. Cats are very cute, I should try to convince Hank to get one." He says. At the thought he sent a quick message to Hank letting him know he wouldn't be home that evening.

_ Read loud and clear kid! Remember you both have work tomorrow! _

_ Gavin didn't hesitate to return the kiss, then another, smiling to him. "Hah- Would Sumo be happy about that?" He asked, imagining the large dog with a cat. He moved to sit on the couch with the other, Doa mewling at them then hopping off. _

_ 'Swear that cat is too smart.' Bastard instantly tackled her, and they started playing. "I'm thinking of taking a shower- you gonna behave while I'm gone?" He was trying to tease the other. _

Connor blushed and sent an apology to Hank. He watched Gavin play with the cat with a fond smile. 

"I'm sure Sumo would do fine." He said, thinking it over. 

"I'll be good." Connor said. An idea flashed through his mind and he grinned to himself.

_ There was a brief moment of debate before he leaned in, kissing the other on the lips quickly. "You always are." He pulled away then, avoiding the two cats now playing. "Remote's on the table!" He called out, entering the first door down the hallway. He shut the door, sighing softly as he entered the bathroom. Shirt first, then pants, he paused to admire the marks left over him. _

_ He couldn't stop the happy sense of pride, knowing Connor left every single one, and when he finally pulled away he was humming slightly, something from the club that got stuck in his head. He started the shower, making sure he had clean towels on the rack, and then stepped in. _

Connor turned the TV on and switched it to a random show, ending up on a nature documentary. He got and scanned the kitchen looking for the ingredients he'd need. 

Thankfully Gavin had all the ingredients and he got to work. It was very simple but he knew that this was a favorite drink when it was cold. Hank also told him it reminded him of family. 

He didn't know how much time he'd have, but figured even if Gavin came out early it would be fine.

_ It wasn't long for Gavin to finish up, though he was taking more time than usual. Both because he was incredibly hopeful to continue where they left off, but also because he hated the idea of Connor being able to lift fingerprints off of him. He quickly dried off, wrapping the towel around his waist and opening the door. He hated the immediate chill, hissing himself at the cool air. _

_ 'How do I- dress now?' Normally, if he took a shower with a guy over, said guy wasn't expecting him to be dressed at all. But this was Connor- and he was confused. So he settled with boxers and sweat pants, and walked back out into the living room, seeing Connor in the kitchen. "Whatcha up to?" _

"Wanted to make you something," Connor turns around with a mug in his hand. He hands the steaming cup to Gavin and waits for his response. He had made hot chocolate before, but he was more tense this time, hoping he made it just right. He didn't want to use too much allspice or too little, often times he didn't follow the recipe completely and did what felt right.

Connor noticed Gavin wasn't wearing much so he started to use his body as a heater, just in case he was cold.

_ Gavin blinked, and now without makeup, he couldn't hide shit. He turned a deep red, taking the mug with a 'small' thanks. Seemingly rebooting, he looked up to the other, feeling a dopey smile on his face again. "Thank you Connor, you seriously didn't have to go through all this." _

_ Connor was too sweet- Gavin wasn't used to someone sticking around for the pure reason of wanting to. He held the cup with one hand and reached in with the other to hug him. When he pulled back, he took a sip, making sure to blow on it so he wouldn't burn himself, as he was very known to do. _

_ It had been a long time since he had hot chocolate, and of course it was good, Gavin melting as he leaned into the counter. "Do you want to watch something?" _

Connor nodded and pulled Gavin towards the couch, careful to not spill Gavin's drink, of the very small amount he got for himself. He didn't want to drink too much, but he wanted the taste. 

"What would you like to watch?" Connor asks, handing the remote over. He kept Gavin close and kept his heating system on, making sure not to make it too warm though.

_ "You're the guest, you pick. I have mostly action movies and rom-coms." He said, taking another sip. He waited for the other to settle, noticing how close Connor kept him, before pushing it just slightly. _

_ He leaned against Connor, head resting on the other's shoulder. "What kinda movies you like?" He asked, holding the cup close and nursing it slowly. _

Connor hummed happily and out an arm around Gavin's waist. "There are many movies that I haven't watched. I have been meaning to watch the Spider-Man movies, if that's ok?"

_ Melting- everything about Gavin was melting. His defense, his insides- head- body- Connor was too damn kind and while he would deal with the panic later about it, right now he just accepted it. "My favorite is Spider verse, but we should start with the classics." _

_ Gavin found the movie, setting it to play before grabbing the blanket beside them. He brushed it free of fur before wrapping it around them, making sure it was ok with the other first. _

Connor made sure they stayed close together, and he absent mindedly rubbed circles where he held him. 

He felt perfectly content on the couch. Every now and then he place a kiss onto Gavin's hair.

_ After his hot chocolate was gone, Gavin was unsure of what to do with his hands. Really, he was unsure of all this. His dates normally went from bar, to bed, to mornings alone. He wasn't used to doing all this. Eventually, he shifted to hug Connor, enjoying the warmth he produced. Doa even joined them, settling on the back of the couch, keeping an eye on Connor. _

Connor smiled and leaned his slowly raked his hand through Gavin's hair. It was incredibly soft and he never wanted to move. He giggled slightly at a quip Spider-Man made, but tried not to jostle Gavin too much. 

"Are you ok?" Connor asks quietly. He could tell Gavin's stress level was slightly higher than normal.

_ "I am- just not used to all the- this. I haven't actually-" Gavin struggled for words, going slightly when they talked on the movie. _

_ "Haven't actually liked someone enough to want to do soft shit like watch movies. I'm-" He laughed softly. 'Nervous, anxious, and definitely out of my element.' _

_ "Not much of a people person when it's not an act." _

Connor hummed in understanding. "There is no pressure to be or do anything you don't want to." Connor said, smiling at Gavin. 

"This will be my first ever... Well my first for most things." Connor pointed out. 

_ Worry flashed strong in Gavin's chest, immediately sitting up a bit. "Wait- please tell me your first kiss wasn't- back there? I'd feel like shit if I ruined that for you." So Gavin was slightly a romantic. Slightly. _

_ "And it's not- pressure- I just... Don't want things to be awkward after this OP is done. You're the first guy that's stayed since-" He stopped, and his eyes looked a little pained. "For a couple years now," is what he finished instead, but shook his head. "But don't change the subject- was that your first kiss?" _

Connor hesitated for a second before nodding. He was a bit embarrassed by that, so he tried to not look Gavin directly in the eyes. 

"I'm not even a year old yet... And I had no want or reason to kiss anyone. I'm glad my first kiss was with you." He said. He wished he had is coin just so he could do something with his hands. 

_ Gavin wished he could kick his own ass right now. "Phck- I'm sorry..." Even if the other said he was glad, Gavin reached his hands up, cupping the other's cheek. "If I had known I would've at least tried to make it somewhat special..." He really felt bad about that, trying to think of a way to fix this. _

_ "How about I make it up to you then- I know of an android tea place- it's really nice. Uhm- me and you, after work sometime soon, head there? My treat?" Gavin fucking Reed- was asking Connor out. He felt his heart pick up a bit, worried to how the other would react. _

Connor smiled and kissed Gavin softly. "I'd love that. And it was special to me." He said, kissing him again. He loved the feel of Gavin against him, he still wore the shirt slightly open and he could feel the warmth from Gavin's exposed skin.

_ There was no hesitation to lean into the kiss, and Gavin relaxed again at the words. He went to say something back, but he was being kissed again and whatever he had to say wasn't that important. He had to scoot closer to get comfortable like this, and was glad for the lack of a shirt. The different textures of the blanket on his back and Connor's shirt and then his skin, it had his head swimming in 'warmth'. They had to pull back after a few moments. "Then I'm glad to be your first." A loud noise from the tv had Gavin jumping, going red from embarrassment at forgetting that it was still playing. _

Connor chuckled deeply and looked at Gavin's face. He never he could never actually forget it, but he wanted to see everything. He scrunched up his nose slightly at how cute he looked. He leaned forward and place a soft kiss on his scar. 

"Where did you get this?" Connor asks.

_ There was a small hitch, but Gavin trusted Connor. "Doesn't leave here- I don't normally air my past around the DPD... But uh, dad. Got into a fight, he took a bottle across my nose. Then I pushed him off the roof of our porch. He ended up with a leg cast, I ended up with stitches- that was just a monthly occurrence." He remembered why they were fighting- Gavin was 'distracting' his brother, their dad catching them watching Venom together instead of working. _

_ "Kinda the reason I moved in here when I graduated. One of the other people at my academy offered me an out to live with him." Gavin swallowed, and that's when he stopped. And his head tilted a bit, as if trying to hide. _

Connor was ready to murder. "If I ever see your father I may rip him apart." Connor growled. No matter how many times he heard of things like this, he still couldn't fathom how someone could hurt their own child. 

"I'm very glad you got out." Connor said, pulling Gavin into a tight hug. He felt a strong urge to protect him and physically fight off anyone who even looked at him wrong. He wasn't sure if that was because of his programming, personality, or both.

_ Given laughed softly at that. "No- No you won't trust me. I try, E didn't approve of it much." His hands gently rubbed the other's cheek, though he was too damn happy for words at someone caring. _

_ At the tight hug, he kept quiet towards the rest. He didn't tonight to be sob stories. Gavin just wanted Connor, and he moved his arms to wrap around the other's neck. "I'm very glad that Fowler put us together." Gavin pressed a kiss to the other's LED with a little bit of stretching. _

Connor flushed deeply. It was such a huge difference from when they first met. It felt like Gavin was saying he liked him, even all the android bits. 

"Me too." Connor sighed, pressing his forehead against Gavin's. He knew what he wanted to do, but didn't want to push too hard or rush things.

_ He was content to rest like that, even if he had to twist to keep wrapped around him. It was easy to relax around Connor- he literally seen him at his worst, yet still stayed. _

_ Gavin wanted closer again, and looked to the other's unbuttoned shirt, remembering very suddenly Connor needed clothes. "Shit!" He cursed, pulling back. "We got to get you some clothes for tomorrow. Come on." He knew he had some shirts he ordered that were too big, they should fit Connor. Pants was another issue. _

Connor blinked in surprise and looked down at his shirt. He stood up and followed Gavin. They were different heights but of similar builds. 

Connor only realized then that he had a slight unfair advantage over humans... He didn't need to workout.

_ He opened his room, and it was vastly different. Everything was dark red or navy blue, light grey outlining important pieces. The walls were red, along with the curtains. The blankets were navy, along with the rug. The bed frame, the dresser, closet door handles, and the different shelving were all the light gray. There was a lot more DPD stuff, and personal bits of Gavin here, posters of movies with signatures, a couple photos of a younger Gavin, and different trophies. No photos of family, but noticeably, there was a picture of a young Anderson and Gavin. _

_ Gavin moved past his large bed, heading to the dresser and bending for the bottom drawers. "Any preference?" Gavin asked, pulling out a couple shirts after filing through them. He laid them out on the bed, before looking for something for himself to wear, moving up a couple drawers. _

Connor smiled and looked at the picture of Hank and Gavin. Connor did a quick scan and Connor knew this was taken before he had lost his son. 

"I'm fine with whatever." He looked around the room and scanned each poster, setting himself a remind to look them up later. 

He liked seeing what Gavin was interested in. Connor couldn't remember ever hearing him talk about any of it and he wanted him to be able to. He'd spend a whole week looking into everything if need be. 

He looked down and unbuttoned the rest of his shirt, taking it off and folding it neatly. He could relax in the pants he was wearing but the wouldn't be comfortable for Gavin with the rough texture. He shrugged to himself and slowly taking them off. 

_ Gavin hummed, debating between two before picking up the one shirt. It would be less revealing than everything else he wore so far. Across the top in vaporwave font was 'call me sir', the whole shirt a deep blue with white font. He turned, about to give it to Connor to try on and mentally stopped. Connor had seen him in next to nothing, but Gavin hadn't had the chance yet. _

_ Now presented with it, his body violently reminded him of being left on the edge and then denied, heating up instantly and Gavin was glad the other wasn't facing him. "Uh-" 'Elegant. Dipshit.' "Found one." _

_ He put the other shirts away and then quickly hid himself by focusing on his drawers. 'Shirt shirt shirt-' _

Connor pulled his pants off the rest of the way and folded them as well. 

"Are you ok?" Connor asks again. "Have I made you uncomfortable, I can change in the bathroom if you want." Connor said, looking down at himself.

_ Gavin shook his head, mumbling quietly. "Not uncomfortable- just haven't gotten to see you undressed and uh-" How to say 'you left me on the edge and I had to deal with that for hours' without sounding needy. "I'm fine- I think I found what I'm going to wear tomorrow." _

_ He pulled out a tanktop, a slight across the front. It was stretchy looking, and Gavin wore it before- it was skin tight. The fabric was black, with 'fragile' on each side. "Kinda cute- hopefully tomorrow will be the last time I have to dance there." _

Connor nodded and looked at the shirt. "I will miss seeing you dance." 

"Do you mind if I use your shower to spray myself down? I still smell like that bar." Connor said. He had a sensitive nose and the smell on himself was not pleasant.

_ Really, Gavin was glad he had a high pain tolerance, because he had a stupid tongue. "You can ask me anytime for a dance Con." _

_ There was a pause, and Gavin laid his shirt on his face, hiding how red he went. "Mhm- help yourself. It you wanna take a bath, just flip the switch in the middle." He wanted to lay on the floor. _

Connor smirked and nodded. He went into the bathroom and turned on the water, taking off his underwear and socks. We quickly got in a looked at the soaps. He wasn't sure if he could use them or not. He decided to use just a small amount of body wash. After he was clean he looked around...he didn't bring any extra clothes or a towel with him. 

"Uh, Gavin, I forgot to grab clothes and a towel." He said opening the door slightly so he could be heard.

_ Gavin laid on the bed for a moment, running a hand through his hair. At the voice, he blinked, staring at his ceiling. 'I've been a perfect angel why am I being tortured.' He got up despite it. "Hold on!" He went back to his drawers, unsure of what Connor would want to wear to sleep in. In case, he grabbed baggy sweatpants, a t-shirt he purposefully bought two timesx his size, and then went to the laundry room to grab fresh towels. _

_ Walking to the door, he closed his eyes, holding out the clothes and towel. He knew he was breathing faster, but he would absolutely not peak. "If the pants don't fit, I have gym shorts that'll come up a little short. I don't know what all you chose to wear at night." _

"Thank you." Connor grabbed the clothes and closed the door. He toweled off. He didn't feel like putting on the underwear he just took off so he shrugged and pulled the pants up over his now dried skin. 

He normally slept like this, so he folded the shirt back up and walked out, running a hand through his damp hair. 

_ When Gavin heard the door open fully, he made the mistake of opening his eyes. Connor looked- like a walking wet dream. He bit the inside of his cheek, swallowing hard. "Feel better?" His voice was a lot quieter than he was planning for. He took a step back, allowing the other to step out. _

Connor stretched his arms above his head and groaned slightly, flexing slightly. 

"Much thank you. I do have a self cleaning but it feels odd, so I prefer showers. I've never taken a bath, though." Connor said with a shrug.

_ He would've scolded himself for watching the other, the strength he so easily held, if if wasn't so distracted by one stray drop of water. 'This is how I die. Not by Connor kicking my ass, but literally being so pent up I snap something internally.' "You're-" _

_ Gavin covered his face, turning now because his eyes traveled to the hem of the pants and Connor- wasn't wearing anything. "Missing out." His voice sounded just a bit strained. "I'm getting a drink- throat's dry." _

Connor nodded and took a seat on Gavin's bed while he waited. He looked around before flopping onto his back. He could smell Gavin all around him, which didn't help a problem that was slowly becoming a bigger problem. 

How he could smell so good was beyond him, be all he knew for certain was that he'd gladly lay in the bed until he died. 

He stared at the ceiling and grinned to himself. It was incredibly fun getting Gavin rilled up. He liked to watch him try to hold himself back, though he didn't need to.

_ Getting another glass of water, he expected to hear Connor follow him, at least to the living room. He downed the water easily, and looked behind him. No Connor. He felt heat bloom in his gut- that meant he just was waiting for Gavin to come back, or was in his room. He put the cup down, making sure Bastard had food, then walked back. _

_ He was not ready to see Connor, resting so easily against the blue. He felt the slight bit of control he gathered back up shake again. 'Unfuckingfairly handsome.' "If you're sleeping in here with me tonight, I have to warn you, I tend to cling." He was at least able to talk now, walking to the side of the bed, hand on his hip. _

"That's fine. I should warn you that I don't actually sleep like a human. I can go into stasis which is similar, but not the same." He propped himself up onto his elbows and looked up at Gavin with a smile.

_ Gavin sat beside him, smiling a bit. "I know. How easy is it to break? Some people you can move around them and everything." His eyes again went downwards, and Gavin looked away, feeling all too warm. He shifted after a moment, sitting so he could hide slightly, one knee against his chest. 'Not that it matters, he could scan you.' _

"That depends on how I set it. As far as I know mine works differently than others because of what I was built for. I can set it so it's similar to what a human would wake up too." He said. He rolled to the side so he could face Gavin easier. 

"For me, I could look over files while I repaired myself. If for some reason I couldn't come out of stasis but body could react to the world around me. For example for some one tried to hurt me and I couldn't leave my stasis my body would be able to fight. It isn't as good as when I'm awake though." He explained.

_ "Shit, that's nice. Reminder not to try to kiss you awake then." He joked, though it was absolutely a move he'd try to pull. "I'm a bit of a light sleeper- unfortunately." _

_ He also had problems falling asleep if he was stressed, but that was far from his mind. He noticed that the other moved to face him, and decided to match him. He readjusted himself- laying on his stomach and resting his head on his arms. "Wait wait, does this mean, potentially, you could sleep walk?" He was grinning, finding the idea far too cute. _

Connor paused and thought it over, "yes. Though I would most likely need a reason. As to being kissed awake, I'm not opposed and my body wouldn't consider that a threat." He said, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. He just couldn't help himself when they were so close.

__

_ Gavin chased the contact, scooting over a bit so he could easily lean in to kiss Connor. "Maybe I will then." He said, grinning slightly. Gavin wondered if there was ever any incidents of him sleep-fighting yet. He pushed the thought away as he made sure to press against the other slightly. He wanted the other to hold him again, chewing on his bottom lip as he thought of the best way to ask. _

Connor smiled and rolled over slightly, pushing Gavin into the bed while he sat on him. He leaned down and kissed him harder than before. 

"Have I told you are beautiful you are?" Connor says softly.

__

_ Letting out a soft hey, he instantly melted under the other, relief in his face as he didn't have to ask. He kissed back instantly, arms wrapping around Connor's neck again. _

_ "All phckin' night. Yet I'm thinking the same thing about you- you're perfect Con. You are-" Gavin leaned up, attacking his jaw and neck again with kisses and soft nips. "So damn handsome." _

Connor let out a shaky breath. He grabbed Gavin's wrists and pinned them above his head with one hand. He very slowly place gentle kisses down Gavin's neck, being careful where he already left marks. 

"I wanted to hear you say my name at the bar... But you couldn't. I want to hear you." Connor says.

_ "I almost did fucker, at least twice. You-" He gasped as the kisses trailed lower down his neck, pushing against the pin. "You're such a fucking tease." He whined, though he didn't mind that at all. _

_ "You know how hard it was not to just leave the stage after?" He moved one leg up at least, pressing his hips into Connor's. Briefly, he wondered just how the other wanted to go about this. _

"I was half tempted to fuck you right there on the stage." Connor said. He rolled his hips down smoothly and let out a soft moan at the friction.

_ Gavin smiled to that, rolling his hips up in return. "I would've probably let you at that point." He couldn't keep the amusement out of his voice, and tried to slip his hands free. He wanted to do everything he couldn't during the dance. Then he got a brilliant idea. _

_ "You know, I did promise you a private dance Connor..." He rolled his hips again. "Want me to make good on that?" _

Connor let go of his wrist and sat up. "Hmm, that does sound good. Do you have any rules? Am I allowed to touch?" He moved off so that Gavin could move.

_ Moving slowly, Gavin stood up, hands on the other's shoulders. "Sides and hips, trust me, it'll be fun." He grinned, before tilting the other's head up. "Any rules for me? This won't be anything like in the club." _

_ Different things ran through his hand, Gavin weeding out the routine as he spoke. He wanted to drive Connor to snap again- to see him want as bad as Gavin had. That's the only reason he employed the rule to begin with. That, and he couldn't last if Connor managed to get the upper hand again. _

"None I can think of." Connor said and scooted to the edge of the bed. He lest his arms rest beside him as he looked at Gavin.

"I'm ready whenever you are."

_ A small, breathless laugh, and Gavin placed both hands on his jaw, holding the other's face. He pulled away, making sure his fingers stayed on as long as they could, then without missing a step, he found his phone, discarded on the phone. "Jarvis, play Sivik High Mix." His phone, slightly muffled, began playing the music on command. He began moving slowly, soft movements of his hips as he walked back to Connor. _

_ Standing in front of him, he simply moved, back and forth, turning round and keeping his eyes on Connor. As soon as the beat picked up, he dropped with ease, sliding back up while his hands slid up. He turned, doing it again with a soft sigh- keeping perfect pace to music he's practiced to. _

Connor watched his every move. He loved seeing how his muscles moved, and the control he had over his body. He promised himself that he would see how long he could go without touching him, but wasn't sure he was going to last long.

_ When it slowed again, Gavin moved on, setting himself above Connor's hips. Hands held onto Connor's shoulder, and there was one minute where he cursed the fluttery feeling in his chest. Easily, he bent, back forming a perfect curve, back he snapped back to standing straight, turning and trailing one hand across Connor's chest. He felt the strain as he lowered himself, hands stretching upwards and keeping barely an inch between their hips. He moved in slow circles, still not quite touching, and ran his hands down his sides til they rested on his knees. Bending forwards, he stood again, smirking as he spun once more. His smirk was mischievous- Connor didn't give him limits. _

Connor fidgeted in his seat. He wanted to push him against a hard surface and not let him go for hours. Humans had limits though, and Connor wasn't sure if he did. He really wanted to test it out though. 

"You look so good baby." Connor breathed out. His hands were clenched, grabbing the bedsheets.

_ "Just for you." He purred right back, absolutely meaning it. He hadn't ever been this into a dance, and it showed, Gavin grateful for the foresight to wear sweatpants. Pushing his need aside for now, when the beat allowed it, Gavin dropped to his knees, sitting between Connor's legs. He would've attempted a wink, but he knew he could- so he grinned instead, hands running up the other's legs from his knees. Leaning in as close as possible, so he knew Connor could feel his breath right above the hem of his pants, he rose again, only coming up halfway. _

_ "You look like you're struggling, think you can make it another song?" _

Connor breath was labored as he nodded. 

"Ye-yeah." He said. You reached out with one hand go touch his waist. He wanted him to stop teasing but he also loved it.

_ Gavin loved the effect it had, and he had the next song was perfect fitting. He even hummed along to it, rising back to rest on the other's waist. This time he sat, still keeping most of the pressure off of him. Leaning in, chests pressed against each other, he bent and rolled his body back, a smooth pull away. It was slower to fit the song, but after doing this for a few times, he stood, bending and hands at his sweatpants. "These are a little unfair to you, aren't they?" He slid them off, rolling his hips as he did. Sure, now Connor could see just how bad it was getting to him too, but that was kind of the point. _

_ He found it amusing the boxers he picked out were red like his first outfit. Now, he resumed how he was, leaning back and keeping his hands linked above his head as he rolled his whole body. He definitely wasn't lasting longer than Connor, thinking of how easily it would be to drop to his knees again and actually get to help Connor out. _

Connor reached out and grabbed his waist with both hands, making sure he stayed close. 

It felt like his mind was going haywire with thoughts of everything he wanted to do. He hoped that this wasn't a one time thing. He wanted Gavin to go into work each day with new bruises on his neck, letting everyone know that he did that. 

_ At the slightest hold, he shivered, letting out a low sigh before his hands settled over Connor's. "Maybe, I can go a little further for my favorite detective." He hummed, then eased down to his knees. Fuck the dance- he wanted the other- and using the rules, he bet he could drive him mad.  _

_ "Would you like that, Connor? Something," he leaned in, starting to kiss the other's stomach, along lines of muscle, going down, "a little more?" He sounded breathless, though he was sending a pleading gaze up to Connor. _

Connor moved his hands back to the bed just so he wouldn't accidentally hurt Gavin with his strong grip. 

He nodded and it took himself a second to be able to talk. "Yes. I'd like that very much."

_ He got a grin for that, and Gavin finished his decent, tugging on his pants. "Off." His voice was still kind, but it was definitely a command. "And remember- no touching. I wonder what the punishment for breaking that rule should be hmm... Maybe- if you touch, I stop? Does that sound fair?" Gavin made sure to kiss right along the hem, trying to be a tease about this. _

Connor nodded and pushed up, pulling the pants down and completely exposing himself. 

"I will be able to do that. What do I get if I succeed?" Connor asks, smiling down at Gavin.

_ "Maybe you will. If you can manage- hah- If you can keep your hands off me, I'll go back to the DPD after the mission, no jacket, deep v-neck." Showing off all the marks. It was the only thing he could think of that Connor would like, and it wasn't something he ever did before. Normally, he'd wear scarves or bandages, claiming his cats had got him while he was sleeping. _

_ "Sound good?" He sounded a little unsure, looking down to look away from his face. _

Connor pretended to think for a second before nodding. "I'd like that. Am I allowed to shut my connection to my arms off, or would that be cheating?"

_ "That would absolutely be cheating." He said, laughing softly as he didn't think the other could do that so easily. He trailed one finger along the inside of the other's thigh, and than ran it along the side of his length, holding him at the tip.  _

_ "If you do need me to stop though, let me know alright?" He knew this was the other's first time, he didn't want to overwhelm him completely. _

Connor nodded, and took in a deep breath. "I should tell you, I am capable of having an orgasm, though I don't know how different it is to humans." He tried to keep his voice steady, but it was incredibly hard. (Pun intended)

_ "Well, we're going to find out, aren't we?" Gavin sounded very sure of this, and moved his hand down as he spoke. He leaned forward, running his tongue along the tip. It was different, not in a bad way. He kept doing so, eventually moving his hand slowly. His music was still running, softly, something he didn't know or care to figure out. _

Connor's breath choked out, and he closed his eyes, this was definitely better than trying it by himself. That definitely was interesting,but he much preferred this. 

The only thing keeping his from grabbing Gavin was the idea of seeing him in the office with the marks all around his neck. 

It was both grateful and frustrated that he was more sensitive to touch. He knew it was so he could be a better detective, but it was definitely working against him now. 

He couldn't help but let out a soft groan, shuddering slightly from Gavin's tongue in him.

_ The soft groan was the best encouragement he could've ever had, and the soft shaking had him smiling slightly. "Responsive." He commented, before moving it along, taking the tip into his mouth.  _

_ He looked up now, hand shifting down to squeeze around the base. His other hand was on Connor's thigh, though he was tempted to reach down himself. _

_ He was dragging this out, trying to break the other, soft humming as he toyed with Connor, only using his tongue. _

"I, I am more sensitive than humans." Connor managed to get out. 

He had to force his hands to stay still, or he would've grabbed Gavin by the hair. He needed more. His hips twitched slightly upwards.

_ He got a hum in response, and at the twitch Gavin decided he'd spare the other just slightly. He took more in, losing focus on Connor's face as he made sure to go slow. He pulled off quickly though, blowing across the tip and speaking lowly. _

_ "That's good," he took a moment to kiss the tip, smiling to himself. "Means teasing is a lot more fun." Moving quicker this time, he took Connor in til his lips hit his hand, and hummed hard. _

"Fuck!" Connor groaned. It felt so good, he never wanted this to stop, but it was so overwhelming at the same time. 

"You're so good." Connor sighed out. He looked down at Gavin and had to close his eyes again. It was too much, seeing him like that. If he watched this would be over much more quickly.

_ Going a bit red at the praise, Gavin started a pace, moving slowly. He made sure to keep from making a pattern of humming, doing so randomly to keep Connor from getting used to any of it. Every so often he'd pull completely off, licking up the side or the tip. _

_ When he did look up again, he couldn't help the grin seeing Connor with his eyes closed. "You're so cute like this you know?" He paused to speak, looking to his hands for a moment. _

Connor blushed deeply and opened his eyes, gazing at Gavin with a soft smile. 

"Thank you." He whispered. His pump was definitely beating faster with each passing minute. 

"You look incredibly voluptuous." He wanted to bad to touch him, to make him feel as good as he did. When Connor looked down he smirked at the sight. Gavin was definitely enjoying this too. 

_ If Connor's goal was to get Gavin to choke, he nearly accomplished it, the sudden heat in his face as he pulled off the other for a minute to get the air back in him. "C-Con-" He stuttered, and then rested his head on the other's thigh, laughing softly. _

_ "I was prepared for you to say- so many things other than that. Phck, you are amazing." His voice was so full of warmth, and fuck teasing him. Gavin wanted Connor to be mindless by the time he was done, pressing a kiss to whatever skin was closest. _

Connor hummed happily. He felt warmth inside that was different from his internal heat. It felt calming in a way. He didn't have a word for it, but he very much enjoyed the sensation. 

"May I please touch you?" Connor asked. He wanted to kiss him so badly, to touch his soft warm skin.

_ There was a soft nod. "Yeah you win you win- you definitely win. Want me to continue?" He wanted to- he really wanted to continue, hear the other fall apart for him. They had all the time later to see how much Gavin could tease until Connor snapped. _

_ His hand that rested on Connor's leg moved to take one of his hands. "I would like to continue." _

He nodded and quickly touched his cheek. 

"Please do." Connor said, sighing in relief. He ran a hand through Gavin's hair, and down towards his back. He leaned forward to place a heated kiss against Gavin's lips.

_ It surprised him for a moment, the kiss, but then he quickly returned it, leaning up so he didn't have to lean so much. The hand over his hair and neck had him shivering for a second, want coursing through him, but he ignored it. _

_ He broke the kiss, pulling back to sitting how he was. "And Connor- I won't break, so don't be afraid to grab." He promised, before moving both his hands to Connor's legs. He took a steadying breath before wrapping his mouth around Connor. Where he stopped before, he didn't now, sliding to the point he couldn't and humming, just once. _

Connor moaned louder than before and grabbed Gavin's hair tightly, his head falling back, and his eyes closing. 

"Fuck, fuck, you're amazing." He moaned out, pushing his hips up. He didn't know why, but he wanted to be deeper, he wanted him to be completely in Gavin. 

_ That got a good reaction out of Gavin, the tight hold on his head and the sudden pressure on his throat- he moaned softly, hips moving to find some kind of stimulus and he was glad the other wasn't focused on him.  _

_ That being said, he had to pull back slowly, acknowledging that Connor wasn't easy to take. He was determined to do so anyways- he didn't need to talk much tomorrow- and went back down, starting a slow pace, feeling his jaw burn just slightly. _

Connor squirmed and his hips thrusts up without them meaning to. 

"I... Ugh, you're... Please, more." Connor groaned out. His thoughts were jumbled, but the feeling of want was incredibly hard to ignore. He wanted Gavin in every way. He wanted no one to ever touch him again, for Connor to be the only one. 

_ That actually got to Gavin, the sudden intrusion further sending a shockwave of the pain/pleasure mix down him. He moaned lowly, hoping it would encourage the other to do that again. He did need to pull off after a moment, needing to breath, but even that need was pushed aside a bit. _

_ He licked at the other while catching his breath, only taking a few seconds to do so before resuming as he was, moving faster and humming again, when he was pulled back, to try and drive the other over the edge. _

Connor growled and pulled at Gavin's hair. He was getting so close, he could feel it. His body was more tense, and his hips shook just slightly, not wanting to stay in place. He would have come earlier if he didn't have as much self control as he does. Another perk of being an android. 

He looked down at Gavin and (if he had a normal one) his heart stopped. Gavin looked absolutely beautiful. It was a different beauty than how he normally looks. He wanted to fuck his mouth until neither of them could breath.

_ Gavin whined at the growl, body shivering again, and he knew that he was going to be a shaking mess when Connor finally did come. He kept up the motion, looking up and regretting it as the instant reaction to swallow happened, the tip hitting his throat. _

_ Connor's look was intense and so damn handsome. And it was focused on him, and he didn't know how to respond other than to turn red, eyes closing as he let out another hum that melted into a moan. His hands came to Connor's hips, steadying himself. _

He gripped Gavin's hair harder and pushed down while thrusting his hips up. It felt so good, and could feel himself tensing. 

"I'm going to orgasm soon." Connor said, his body trembling. 

_ Another whine that melted into a moan, Gavin was definitely asking if they could just let Connor take control next time. He tried to swallow again before starting to slowly pull back. He sucked hard this time, humming as he did, hoping the slow drag would be enough to ease the other over the edge. _

Connor trembled and tensed, before his body released. He didn't know what came out, but it was a similar texture to what would come out of a human. (Though it did taste a lot better.) 

He kept his grip on Gavin's hair until he relaxed completely, his eyes fluttering closed.

_ Gavin didn't move. The taste wasn't- bad. It was slightly metallic, but otherwise, Gavin could find himself getting a lot more familiar with it. He worried about swallowing for a fraction of a second, before deciding if he had the function, the bastards at Cyberlife wouldn't make it lethal. _

_ The hands relaxing, Gavin pulled back, a hand coming up to his jaw to try and rub the soreness out. He was indeed breathless, a shiver going through him every so often as he could feel himself need. "Con-" Oh. He went bright red at how fucked his voice sounded, slightly scratchy and pitching randomly. _

Connor blinked his eyes open and looked down at Gavin tilting his head slightly. 

"Are you alright? I didn't hurt you did I?" Connor asks, running a quick scan. He ran a soothing hand through Gavin's hair, having pulled it quite hard before.

_ Quickly shaking his head, Gavin hid his face in the blanket beside Connor. He looked to his nightstand and reached to the bottom, opening it up to grab a water bottle. He opened it, taking a drink and setting it back on the top. "No just- ehm. Just- my throat is sore. It's good though." He sounded a bit better, but the scratchiness was still there.  _

_ He looked to Connor then, grinning slightly. "I hope you enjoyed that cause I'd definitely love to do that again." _

"I did very much. You are incredibly talented. I know humans have a period where they cannot get erected, for androids that is not the case. Therefore, if I can do anything for you, I will happily do so." Connor said, pulling Gavin up slightly to press a soft kiss against his forehead. 

_ Leaning into Connor, Gavin didn't hesitate running his hands over the other's chest. "What do you want to do yet? I- I just want you." His brain was a little mushy right now, need making him want so much but the part of him not completely fucked knowing this was Connor's first time. _

_ "Really robocop, anything you want to do I'd be happy with." His hands rested on the other's shoulders, and he was ready to move at any command. "It's your first time, I want you to enjoy it." _

"I am happy with anything. Seeing you pleasured will be just as rewarding as doing so." He kissed Gavin, pulling him into his arms. He definitely wanted Gavin close to him, to feel their skin touching. 

He turned his head to suck on his neck slightly. "Whatever you want." He mumbled.

_ He thought over it, but he wanted this to be perfect. He knew how terrifying someone's first time could be when given to the wrong person. His throat and scalp still hurt, and he knew if Connor lost control his first time- he'd be hesitant to ever repeat it. Despite the twitch of his body at the attention to his neck, he managed to get out a choked- "Then let me take care of you." _

_ Moving out of the other's reach, he pushed the other gently to rest properly on the bed. "I want- this to be perfect for you Con." 'I want to be perfect for you.' "I can hold out a bit longer, if it means your first time will be one you want to repeat with me again." He sounded confident, taking the other's hand in his. _

Connor laid down, his body relaxed. 

"I most definitely would like to do this again, many times." He smiled up at Gavin, not a trace of nervousness or embarrassment. He completely trusted him. 

He was definitely glad that he was a fast learner, as he wanted to make Gavin feel as good as he felt.

_ "Good- really good." There was a small laugh, shaking away the fear of rejection before he leaned in to kiss the other. "Tell me if anything makes uncomfortable alright? I dunno- if- if it can hurt- but I'm going to take it slow." _

_ He moved, leaning over to search his nightstand before pulling out a small bottle. He placed it on the bed beside them before moving to Connor's neck, making small hickies on the side he didn't get to do earlier. His hands smoothed down Connor's sides, wanting to never stop touching the other. 'Work is going to be hell, you'll have to think of excuses to roll over to his desk.' _

Connor sighed and arched his back slightly. 

"You don't... You don't need lube I can make it myself." Connor said. He reached up and ran his hands down Gavin's back, feeling his muscles, which turned him on more than he thought it would. 

The idea of watching Gavin workout was highly appealing.

_ There was a moment of pure 'what' before Gavin's mind slammed back to him, full force, with one want. "Oh." Connor could probably feel the shiver of want that passed through him. "Alright- Do you still need prepped or- don't know?" Gavin asked, planning to do so anyways. _

_ With how turned on he was, he wanted to tease Connor for a bit anyways. He started to leave of trail of hickies down his chest, pausing at the indent where his thirium pump was. There he kissed gently, making sure to not leave a spot untouched. He wouldn't dare hickey anywhere near it, just soft touches. _

Connor groaned, and breathed out a shaky breath. 

"I... Don't know. I haven't tried it before. I could check if you'd like." He said. He could look into his system, but wanted to see if Gavin wanted him to. If he didn't then he wouldn't. 

He was definitely going to be showing off his bruises, and since they worked with detectives everyone could easily piece together what happened, and that brought a grin to his face.

_ "No no, I want to." He gave one more kiss before moving down, resuming a trail of hickies. Just to tease, he ran his hand over Connor's length, but his mouth completely avoided there. "Remember, if you want me to stop, say so alright?" _

_ Gavin- had never done this before. He didn't have a partner he wanted to. But the idea of slowly breaking him down again was too good, and he had a burning curiosity. Lifting Connor's leg, he put it over his shoulder. A soft nip was delivered to the back of his thigh, then he went inwards, nipping and leaving dark hickies no one would see but them. _

Connor squirms and lets out a little whine. He had to turn out his strength just in case. He knew he could actually crush someone's skull with his legs and he definitely didn't want to do that to Gavin. 

"I will, the same goes for you." He ran his hands through Gavin's hair softly. He seemed to do that a lot and guessed it was just going to be something he liked to do. 

_ There was a grin at that whine, Gavin making his way to where Connor's ass began. His hands rubbed gently, sliding to wear Connor's hole was, and his thumbs rubbed circles into the area beside. He kept him spread open, and wished he could see his face for this.  _

_ He leaned his head into Connor's hand before pushing forward, tongue licking a stripe from where he was biting to where he was aiming. There was no taste up til the point he hit the lubrication, then Gavin's mind went blank. _

_ 'He tastes sweet. I'm finding Kamski and I'm fucking hugging him.' He couldn't stop the laugh at it this time. "Connor, babe, you literally are sweet. That's- oh phck." The sudden laughter had him squirming, a self inflicted torture, but it was worth it. _

He let out a soft welp when Gavin licked him. How he could do such amazing things with his tongue was beyond him, he just knew he wanted him to keep going.

"I do? I wonder why that is." He said, trying to keep his mind at least semi calm. He was failing incredibly. 

He propped himself up onto his elbows so he could see Gavin, and he was laughing. He really hoped that that was a good thing. Though a part of him worried that it wasn't.

_ "I don't know but I fucking love it." When he calmed down, he gave the other a kiss on the thigh. "I never thought I'd get the chance to actually get to know you, let alone this." Another kiss, another nip. "It's because you as a person are too sweet robocop." _

_ Eventually, that sudden need to bathe in affection stopped enough he could focus, one last soft kiss, closer to where he was. He leaned it again, licking slowly across. He was so glad he waited til Connor to try something like this. "Is this alright?" He asked this while his breath was still close enough to tease Connor. _

Connor moved his hips, arching his back. "Yes please." He whimpered. He'd definitely have to talk about how this was going to all workout. He knew humans dated but wasn't sure if that's what Gavin wanted. He wanted to do that, he wanted to take him on dates and snuggle together on the couch at night. He wanted to bake for him, and even train with him. He wanted to know everything about him, and he wanted Gavin to know everything about himself.

_ A grin at the please. "Anything for you." He said softly, before repeating the motion. He eventually started to press his tongue against the skin, trying to ease him open with his tongue alone right now. The slow pace had his eyes lidding, heat burning in his stomach. Every so often he'd hum, shift closer, or lift his own hips to keep from rutting against the bed. He briefly remembered he still had his boxers on. _

Connor grinned the sheets and squirmed. It was hard to stay in place when his body wanted to move, when it wanted more. 

"More... Please more." He needed more, but he loved this. He loved the feel of want, how good it already felt.

_ If anyone else seen how quickly Gavin melted at the 'please', he would've been called whipped and he knew it. That being stated, he didn't mind it one bit, pressing his tongue in further, deeper. When he was sure Connor could handle it, he began a shallow rhythm of pressing his tongue in and out of him. Moving his hand, soon Gavin slid in one finger, making sure to still lick and prod despite that. _

Connor made a sound he didn't know he could make. It brought a blush to his face. "So, ugh, so good." He got out through breaths. He would hug whoever made him, even if they were against andriods, because this was amazing. He loved everything. He loved the feeling of Gavin in him and the stretching. He loved the heat and the kind words.

_ Eventually Gavin had to pull back. He made a note of to try and play with that more some other time, but the noises the other was making were driving him mad. Carefully, he eased a second finger in, and moved back up to kiss at his length again. He did keep an eye out for any signs of discomfort, knowing when he started to separate his fingers is when it would feel different. "Doing good?" _

Connor stiffened slightly before relaxing. It wasn't the worst feeling, but it was definitely different. After a second the odd feeling disappeared. 

"Yes, please keep moving." He said, trying to move his hips. 

_ Gavin felt the tense, and he didn't listen this time. He was bound and determined to make sure the other was comfortable, and looking between his hand and Connor's dick, he grinned, starting to lick at the other again. "I will in time." _

_ A lot more slow than the last one, he eased a third finger in, and then paused, waiting for Connor to clear anymore movement. _

Connor groaned when Gavin stopped. "Keep going, I like it." He managed to say. He had to hold himself back from pushing himself down onto Gavin's hand. He wants the friction so bad.

_ Careful, he started to pull and push his fingers, eyes down below to his hand. He couldn't focus on doing both for long, so he switched to kissing the skin on Connor's thigh, nipping every once and a while. Connor was going to be a bright shade of blue from where Gavin attacked his poor leg. When he was certain it was fine, he started to stretch his fingers- curving them to see if a certain spot was there for Connor too. _

Connor let out a yelp and his eyes went wide. He knew that he was sensitive, but this seemed even more so. He of course couldn't compare as he had no reference point, though he'd hoped he would with Gavin soon.

"I... Didn't know I had one of those too." He said. He felt like he could barely take in a breath. That felt so good. Probably the best thing he's ever felt.

_ 'Bingo.' Gavin kept at the spot, every time his fingers would stretch further, he'd rub against it. "Good thing you do." His voice, still scratchy, was rumbling now. Now he was watching Connor for a whole 'nother reason- wanting to see him squirm before he stopped teasing him. _

_ When Gavin hit it again and again he couldn't help but let out a scream that he muffled with his fist. It felt so good, and he wouldn't last long like this.  _

"I, I won't last." He panted. He wanted it, but it was so much. He wanted Gavin inside of him.

_ Slowly, Gavin pulled his fingers out of him, moving to untangle himself from Connor. He reached over, looking for a condom, and brought one over to the bed before finally pulling his boxers off. He knew it was safe and he wouldn't need one, but he didn't know how the other would feel about the mess. _

_ He was admittedly pretty average when it came to this, nothing to boast about, nothing to be shy over. "Wanna stay like this?" He meant position, running his dry hand over his hips. _

Connor nodded, "you don't need that though, I cannot give or get STDs of any kind. And my body can flush things out if need be." Another plus of being an android, who knew there were so many things he could love about it. He never hated being an android, he was incredibly proud of it, but it was a bit hard when the humans still questioned if they could actually feel. 

He couldn't help the shiver that ran down his body when he thought about what they were about to do. He was so glad they had gotten this case together, and made a mental note to bake something for Hank and Fowler. He had a suspension that Hank had somehow made sure they worked together.

_ "Not everyone likes the clean up, I- didn't want to be the jerk that assumes otherwise." Gavin delivered a soft kiss to where he could see Connor's thirium pump again. But then he settled on the bed above Connor, cursing their height difference right now. _

_ Hand on his hip, he guided himself to position with the other, then looked up. "Sure about this?" Again making sure, he sounded extremely nervous. "You can back out at any time Con, I won't be mad I promise." _

Connor smiled and kissed Gavin gently but deeply. He tried to put as much feeling he could into it, as he didn't know how to express what he was feeling. 

When he pulled back he kept a hand on Gavin's neck, rubbing a soft circle. "I want this."

_ Of course he kissed back, keeping it gentle, and honestly he was a bit overwhelmed by the kiss alone. When the hand stayed on his neck, moving across that one spot, he keened lowly. "Dirty move- you know that's my weak spot by now." _

_ But still, slow as possible, he started to ease into the other, the hand on his hip gripping just a bit harder. He couldn't help the soft curse- Connor was still tight around him despite the prep, and it had been a long night. _

Connor whimpered slightly, but it wasn't out of pain. It felt so good, and he didn't realize how empty he felt before doing this. He wondered if humans also felt the emptiness. Though they probably did as plugs were a thing. 

He accidentally clawed slightly at Gavin's back. He hoped he wasn't too rough though. He didn't want to hurt him if he didn't want it.

_ When he was fully in, he was shaking a little bit, breath coming out in fast puffs as he held onto Connor. The scratches had gotten another low moan out of him, eyes closing as his hips tried to twitch. He kept still though, speaking lowly. "Tell me- when you're ready Con." _

_ Gavin was really looking forward to wearing his dancing outfit tomorrow- it wouldn't be able to hide a single mark on him, and he knew he'd wear them all with pride. He was wanted by this perfect angel of a guy, and he was so damn happy to wear every mark. _

Connor moved his hips, desperate for more. "Please, move, please." He whined. He grabbed Gavin by his shoulders, holding tightly. His back arched slightly, the pressure inside of him building.

_ There was a muttered 'yes yes' in response, both hands now holding his hips as he slid out, leaving just the tip in. He started a slow, gentle motion, one hand moving up Connor's side as he leaned in to kiss his shoulder. He was a lot more vocal now, muffling his noises through the kissing- soft gasps and 'ah' with each push in.  _

_ He knew some partners hated how vocal he was, so he came up with ways to keep himself quiet, sucking a hickey into a spot on Connor's shoulder as he moved. He needed to find that one spot again- wanting to hear Connor. _

Connor rolled his hips in time with Gavin, and it felt wonderful. The kisses made keeping his cool harder, but he loved it so much. He was glad that he could bruise, that he'd be able to see the marks that Gavin leaves. 

"Faster, baby, please" he begged, tilting his head so Gavin could get at it easier. He didn't mean to call Gavin that, it had just slipped out and he was momentarily worried that he wouldn't like it.

_ At the slip up, Gavin smiled, moving to make another dark hickey on a patch of skin he couldn't get to before. "Phckin' beautiful Con." He murmured, and picked up the pace, still trying to find that one spot. He pulled back for a second to admire his work, and he was sure his heart skipped a beat. _

_ Connor was blue- all over. There was a line leading to his thirium pump, stopping, then resuming down his hips. There were deeper blue marks on his neck and shoulder, and the faded indent of teeth from earlier. His thighs were spotted with the color, and Gavin felt so much joy at seeing it all. He focused now on finding the spot, wanting to see Connor come apart, biting his lip to keep quiet. _

Connor touched Gavin's lips slightly, "you can be loud." He said before yelping. Gavin had hit the spot once again and it neatly sent him over the edge. 

He was excited to see all of the bruises he had gotten, and he was excited to put even more on Gavin. 

He rolled his hips up desperately. He'd be finished soon, and hoped Gavin was close too. He could hold himself back if need be.

_ He got a whine for that, and Gavin mouthed out 'sorry' before the other yelped. Having found the spot, he paused for a second to adjust, then picked up the pace, feeling way too close to the edge already. _

_ He did stop holding back his own gasp though, now quietly saying 'Con' again and again. "Don't think- last much longer." There was a missing word there, and Gavin felt his pace stutter a bit. He moved one hand to take Connor's length, moving to the same pace. "Wanna see you- please." _

It was all too much, the sounds from Gavin especially. He loved it so much. He loved hearing his name from him. 

"I'm.." he managed to get out before his body shuddered and he came once again. He had never really felt sleepy before but he definitely felt tired. It was a good kind of tired though. He wondered for a second if he was capable of sleep. He knew children androids could so maybe he could. It wouldn't do him any good, except bringing stress level down, but he definitely wanted to curl up with Gavin and fall asleep.

_ Connor tensing up around him was what did Gavin in, a broken noise of Connor's name and a gasp mixing together and leaving him. His hips stuttered to a stop, and eventually he sagged against the other. It took him a couple breaths, but he was proud of his stamina for a reason, pulling out of Connor. _

_ He reached down in the nightstand again, and pulled out a clean wash cloth, pouring some water on it. "This is gonna feel cool." He warned, before starting to gently wipe the other's chest off. _

Connor shivered but let Gavin clean him. It did feel nice against his overly warm skin. The warning of overheating going away. He didn't even notice it until now. 

He did an internal scan just to make sure and everything was fine other than over heating a bit. He didn't really mind though, it felt nice. 

"You're amazing." Connor said, blinking slowly and smiling at Gavin. He really was so lucky to have him.

_ "So are you. We make a pretty amazing c-duo." Gavin laughed softly, finishing cleaning Connor off and then himself. He threw the washcloth to the dirty clothes. _

__ _ "Roll over, let me get the blanket." He was getting a bit tired, would've tried to roll the other over himself. "I'll wash everything tomorrow don't worry." _

Connor moved slightly so the blanket was easy to grab. He wanted Gavin in his arms now, but knew that sleeping on dirty blankets would not be pleasant for either of them. 

"I wish we didn't have to work tomorrow. I'd love to spend the whole day with you. Plus I don't want others to touch you." Connor said with a sigh. He loved his job, he really did, but he really wanted to spend more quite time (or not really quite in this case) with him.

_ He pulled the blanket out, revealing another, softer one under it. He threw the comforter into the pile the moved to lay beside Connor. He reached out for him, hesitating for a second before gently wrapping an arm around him. _

_ "Just think, after tomorrow, we do get time off." He reasoned, looking to Connor then away again. "I wouldn't mind spending that time off together. I still owe you a date at that android tea shop... If- you still want to." Now was where the insecurity really was going to bother Gavin. He knew how he got after sex- 'too clingy', 'too expectant', 'touchy'. It was the reason he had stopped dating to begin with. _

_ "You're uh- you're... Not going anywhere tonight, right?" 'Please don't- I don't want to wake up alone again.' _

"Of course not. Why would I leave?" He asks, pulling Gavin closer against his chest. He wrapped his arms around him and kissed his hair. He didn't know who madeGavin feel this way, but if he ever found out that person would wish they were dead. 

He was a bit worried with how violent his thoughts could be, but instantly remembered why he was created. He was made to be ruthless. Sure he could be when he needed to, but he didn't want to be all the time. 

"And I'd love to spend the time with you and go on a date... Do this make us partners? Boyfriends?" Connor asks, pulling back just far enough so he could see Gavin's face. 

_ "Hah- most do." It was a bitter statement, but Gavin pushed it aside at being pulled closer. Given permission, both arms now wrapped around Connor. He was warm and it felt great to just be held for a bit.  _

_ At the careful question, Gavin's face went red. Despite how loud his head wanted to be, he spoke hopefully, resisting the want to hide his face or turn away. "If you'd want to be- I'd like to be your boyfriend Con. I want to get to know you, and I think it would be fucking amazing to not get-" Hurt. Left behind. Walking into the DPD with bruises he'd hide. His voice suddenly cut off and this time he hid his face. "I want to get to know you, and I really want someone I can trust besides Tina in that place. Quite frankly, you're that someone. I avoided you- I let myself keep distance cause I swore you would've hated me yet you didn't and- phck. Thanks. Thanks..." _

Connor nodded and pulled Gavin back in, hugging him for awhile without saying anything. 

"I'd like that very much." He wanted to protect Gavin from everything. He didn't want to see him so nervous and insecure. 

"I never hated you, by the way. Sure you got on my nerves, but I think you actually helped me become deviant. You made me feels thing... You still do. I'm not the best with emotions, but I most definitely know that I like you very, very much." He murmured.

_ He was content to just hug back, not wanting to kill the mood but of course he opened his mouth. As the other continued, he couldn't help but laugh. "Pissing you off helped you become a deviant huh? I have good news Con, I'm still going to be as annoying as before. More so now that I can tease you and get away with it." There was a kiss to his shoulder at that, Gavin moving to place a hand protectively on Connor's chest. _

_ "I'm- I'm really fucking happy to hear that though. I'm happy to be able to see you figure this shit out, trust me, I'm not that good with some of them either." He moved his hand, placing it on Connor's jaw. _

_ "Lean in, I wanna kiss before I pass out on my boyfriend." Phck, it felt weird, in a good, new way, to say that, the stupid dopey grin coming back full force. _

Connor smiled and leaned in, kissing Gavin. It all just felt so right like this. Curling up together and falling asleep. He wanted this to happen every day. 

They both had come a very long way since the first met, and Connor wouldn't change anything. It was almost funny thing back how they treated each other. And now they were laying in bed together.

_ When they broke the kiss, Gavin laid his head under the other's chin. "Promise Con- I'll never hurt you again alright?" _

_ He wanted to be better, to show Connor his hatred was never at him for being an android. He wanted to make up for everything he did, even if Connor didn't hold it against him, he still wanted to make the other feel loved and wanted. He was starting to pass out to that thought. _

Connor hummed happily and closed his eyes. He couldn't help himself though, "not unless I want it." He muttered. 

His stress level was the lowest it had ever been, and he knew why. They didn't even need to have sex for it to be this low, though it did help.

_ That got a weak laugh, Gavin squeezing him. "Kinky," he teased, and for once in a long while, he fell asleep smiling, feeling safe for once. _

_ Really, this OP was the best thing that's happened to him since becoming a cop, and he dared someone to prove him wrong. _


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Normal  
> Lupo: Italicized  
> Text Message: Underlined

Connor slowly woke up, warmth throughout his body. He felt something on him and it took him a second to figure it out. When he did he let out a content sigh. Gavin was laying on his chest. Connor had one arm around him, and he loved the other to comb through Gavin's hair. 

He felt incredibly relaxed and he really didn't want to go to work. He knew they'd have to go into the office just to check up and turn in what they'd learned. Then they'd go back to the bar. 

After they'd get a small break. He wanted to take him out for dinner. He wouldn't be able to eat all of it but he would at least be able to taste it. 

He hoped there would be a repeat of last night. He only then remembered that he wasn't wearing anything. It didn't both him, and was very glad Gavin lived alone.

_ The room was a bit more cleaned up than last night, the dirty blanket and clothes missing. When Connor stirred, he was met with a rumble, and a very broken voice. "Mornin' Con." _

_ Gavin wasn't asleep. He had gotten up during his alarm, and went about cleaning up, not wanting to disturb the other. He also didn't want him fussing with cleaning up when he woke up. His own arm was wrapped around Connor's middle, as when he finished he just laid back in bed. _

_ He really liked being held, it wasn't something he was used to, and definitely not something he could ask for yet. So he wasn't going to miss the opportunity. _

"Good morning." Connor said, kissing Gavin on the top of his head. He tightened his hold just slightly, closing his eyes. 

Sleeping was odd but he very much enjoyed it. He planned on trying to sleep every night if he could. He also wanted to stay over whenever Gavin wanted him. 

"How did you sleep?" He asked softly. "And is your throat ok?"

_ "My throat is fucked." In every way, but he laughed at it. "You're gonna have to do the talking for us Con." _

_ Gavin leaned up to kiss his neck, gently over a darker mark. "Need to get up, get ready. Want anything while I'm up?" He didn't want to move. Connor was warm and the squeeze had him sighing, melting into the other. _

__ _ But he also really liked being a detective, and knew Connor did too, so they needed to get up. _

"I'll need to stop by the house to get clothes to change into before we go to the station." Connor said. He slowly sat up and stretched. 

He ran a system scan and everything came out clean. 

"Can I use your shower? Also, a towel and clothes to wear until I get to the house?" Connor asked. He didn't bother to try and cover himself up, Gavin already had seen all of him.

_ Gavin watched, though it wasn't the same heat like last night. 'He's so cute...' There was warmth in his eyes, and he nodded. "Go ahead and sort through the bottom drawers for something- I think I got out a tanktop for you last night, and there should be more sweatpants in there." _

_ Looking between the floor and his place, Gavin sighed loudly, rolling til he halfway hung off the bed. "And of course you can, help yourself to whatever you need in the shower. I'm going to make coffee and feed the cats." _

"Alright, thank you." Connor said. He carefully looked through the drawer for pants that would fit. He found one suitable and grabbed it, also taking the shit had tried to give him. 

He walked to the shower and left the door slightly cracked. It was a habit from his programming, as it would take longer to open a door than to just push it out of the way. 

This time he used Gavin's soaps gladly. He also got out what was still inside of him. It didn't take him too long, but he did enjoy the water. 

He dried himself off and put the clothes on, looking in the mirror to quickly access himself. He nodded and headed out, towards the kitchen where he assumed Gavin would be.

_ He watched for a moment more before finally moving. Shuffling through his drawers when Connor left the room, he pulled out a deep red, low cut v-neck, knowing the top of the scratches and every mark would be on display for everyone to see. 'Hank's gonna fucking kill you.' A worthy sacrifice, setting the shirt aside and looking for boxers and a pair of cargo pants to wear with it. He left them on top of the drawer, throwing on his pants from last night until he could take a shower. _

_ Heading into the living room was a fun experience. Doa looked knowingly to him, and he grinned back at the cat, petting it's head. "Oh don't look so smug furball." He mumbled, before snickering for the other cats and heading into the kitchen. He started his K-cup maker, putting a blonde roast cup in, and then got out the cats' food. _

The clothes stuck to his slightly damp skin as he walked out. He stayed quite so only a high end android would be able to hear him. 

He slowly snuck up behind Gavin and then grabbed him by the waist and hugged him from behind. He gave a kiss to his neck before setting his head on the other's shoulder. "Don't forget to eat, having a healthy breakfast is a very important part of the day."

_ Gavin tensed, a broken growl ripping from him until he felt it was a hug. Connor was lucky he was sleepy, because he would've likely had a fight. "ConNor-" His voice was definitely broken, breaking as he whined the other's name. _

_ "Scared the shit out of me! I will I will- warn a bitch next time." He whined again, but leaned into the other.  _

_ Keeping his voice low to not force it, he sighed out. "Good shower? I need to go get one, then I'll eat some cereal or something." _

Connor chuckled and squeezed him just slightly before relaxing his arms around him so they were just barely around him. "Sorry," Connor said, "didn't mean to scare you." 

"The shower was good, and I'm glad." He did a quick search before continuing to speak. "A warm saltwater gargle, warm lemon tea with honey may also help your throat." 

_ "Hey no- don't you dare let go-" Gavin turned, pouting up to the other. "I like it- just warning instead of spooking me." Wrapping his arms around the other, he went red at the comment. _

_ "Planned to do so after my shower- I have throat lozenges with honey for um, this." He huffed, before pulling away. "If we keep this up we'll never leave- I'm getting my shower. You know where everything is?" _

Connor pulled him into a kiss, "I do" he said once he pulled away. "Go take your shower." He couldn't help but kiss him again. 

He didn't mind being late just this once, but Hank would probably get worried if he was. After all he had a clock with him at all times, so being late wasn't something he had ever done.

_ Each kiss was returned, though Gavin worried it was gross to the other- given- everything. "I'm going I'm going." _

_ Gavin grabbed his clothes then headed into the bathroom. He took a while, but they still had time so he wasn't too worried. He would rather be absolutely clean before tonight anyways, knowing he'd have to deal with people's hands on him again. _

_ The thought nearly had him dropping his washcloth. 'I don't want anyone's attention but his.' He was glad for the time to get all the red out of his face. _

__

_ By the time he came back out, he looked somewhat normal. Only somewhat, because the deep v-neck hid nothing, Gavin having made sure of that. He still had to wear an outfit tonight, so he was in comfy clothes until then. However, checking the time he winced. "Hey Connor- wanna grab food on the way there actually? I don't want you to be late." _

"Of course, as long as it's a healthy breakfast." Connor said. He went and grabbed his shoes, putting them on. 

"You look very handsome." He says and stands. 

He wonders what everyone's reactions will be... And Hank's reaction. Hank probably already guessed what happened, but still. He was like a father to Connor, and the thought of what his face would look like almost made him laugh.

_ At the comment, Gavin's chest puffed, tilting his head to show off some of the marks. "I made a promise, no cover up. I hope you're ready to deal with the questions." Gavin slid his boots on, grabbing just his badge and ID since he wasn't doing anything but checking in. _

_ "A muffin can be healthy right? I know of a place on the way." _

Connor smiled and looked at the markings. He was quite impressed with how many he left, and hoped they weren't too sore. He also left the setting on so that he himself had blue bruises on his neck. They didn't hurt thankfully. 

"I suppose a muffin will do. At some point you should get more fruits, they are incredibly good for you."

_ Finding his keys, he grabbed the coffee mug and poured caramel creamer into it, before heading to the door, looking back to Connor. "I'll make a compromise- apple cinnamon muffin." He offered, knowing everything where they were going was homemade. _

_ Again, another first. Only Gavin and Tina knew of this place, finding it when trying to nurse hangovers together before work. _

"Alright, let's get going." Connor said, opening the door for Gavin. It was part of his programming to do so, but after becoming deviant he decided to keep doing it. It felt nice to help people even with something as small as opening a door. He definitely helped people in bigger ways as a detective. That was one of the reasons he decided to continue as one.

_ Playfully, Gavin bumped against Connor, grinning to him at the act of chivalry. He lead the way to the elevator, waiting for the other before pressing the button. "So- who do you think will piece it together first?" Gavin had a wicked idea, to wait a couple moments before heading in after Connor. Just to see people piece it together and lose it. _

"Hank most definitely. He knows I didn't come home and other than New Jericho the only other place I could have gone is with you. It also makes sense because we are working together. Those who know of that fact will have an easier time figuring it out. If they don't by then, then the matching bruises will easily clue them in. If they still haven't gotten it, then they must be terrible detectives." Connor mused. 

Gavin probably didn't mean for him to answer the way he did, and for a second he worried that it would annoy him, before rolling his eyes at himself. He was still worried about how others thought of him. 

He reached out and grabbed Gavin's hand, holding it slightly. Gavin could easily pull away if he wanted to, but he hoped he wouldn't. It was nice to hold his hand.

_ "Ok ok- but here me out, Tina has a sixthth sense for this shit. She knew Chris was getting married from a text of five exclamation points and a crying face." He paused, looking to Connor with squinted eyes. "Unless- this was his plan- both you and Fowler insisted Hank said to have me work with you." _

_ There was a brief moment where Gavin wondered if Hank knew what he did after walking out of the evidence room. If he figured out any of cards Gavin was sent days after were from people he helped. But it was gone with the hand touching his, and he leaned into Connor, holding it back. _

"Hmm, Hank could have set this up. After all he was the one that suggested someone be a dancer, and then refused to do it. It seemed like a perfectly reasonable idea, so I didn't think to question it. Then he said you would be the best for it... And I may have talked about you, a lot." Connor muttered the end and stared at the ground. He shouldn't be embarrassed but a kind of was. 

He had talked about Gavin a lot. Mostly about how he looked, his stress levels, how he wanted to talk to him, how he sat in his chair... Ok so he talked about Gavin all the time. Hank definitely knew. He didn't know if Hank knew how Gavin felt... Though, Tina could have told him.

_ The idea of Hank setting them up was definitely enough to make Gavin start to turn red, but hearing Connor admit to talking about him- Gavin turned, hiding his face in the other's arm. "And here I thought I was the gay disaster." He was teasing of course, and then seeing Connor seem so embarrassed, he reached up. _

_ He still was gentle about it, not confident enough to believe it would be accepted, but his hand gently rested on the back of Connor's neck and nudged him down. Gavin leaned up to meet him, and kissed the other briefly. "Cute." _

Connor blinked and pulled him into a deeper kiss before pulling away when the elevator opened. "Hank was actually the one that told me...about what I was feeling. That also lead to me finding out that I am bisexual." 

He kept a hold of his hand as he walked out, towards the car. It was a bit chilly out so he made so to keep close to Gavin and turn his heater on.

_ "Oh phck- so you did have the 'dad' talk huh? Lucky bastard- guess how I figured this out?" The wind hit him and he pushed into Connor, knowing he would be warm. No jacket meant no protection either. _

_ He unlocked the car and slid into the driver's seat after one last peck to the other's cheek. _

Connor let go and walked to his side, getting in. He had the seat belt buckled behind him, just in case. 

"That depends on when you found out. If it was during your schooling years then most likely from experimentation." 

_ "Highschool locker room. Sophomore year- I didn't really have the talk as much as dive face forwards into all this." He admitted, not bothering with his seat belt and just making sure the music wasn't too loud. He played pop today, feeling in a pretty good mood. _

"Ah, yes. In highschool you changed in front of everyone, and the biological females and males are separated." He reached over to turn the heat up slightly for Gavin.

_ "Hah- yeah. And apparently, if you stare at a guy's ass too long, it's a dead giveaway." Gavin wasn't even surprised he couldn't remember his first time. He remembered bits and pieces, but that was said for his whole childhood. He actively avoided thinking about anything before he was a cop. "Thank you- anyways, I'm- happy you got Hank to change. He's- He needed that." _

“Staring at asses is a good indicator,” Connor chuckled. “I am very glad that he drinks 75% less alcohol now. I have also made him many dinners that are much more nutritious that he seems to enjoy.”

“You mentioned a brother, are you two close?” He asks.   
  


_ That was a hard topic to answer. "On and off. He uh, he got real fucking snobby for a while, but throughout our childhood, and recently, we've been close enough. He asks me for favors, I talk to him about- stuff." Gavin ducked his head a bit, knowing he needed to start controlling how much he was blushing. Connor was the only one he wanted seeing his 'not-detective' side. "It's uh, not on my records I have a brother though, so don't go speaking too much about it in the office." _

“I won’t. I am glad that you two are getting along. I have learned news that they will be making an upgraded version of me, RK900. He is supposed to look very similar to me. Would that make him my brother?” Connor asks. 

He only learned of the new android recently. It didn’t exactly know how he felt about that. He also didn’t know if he would already be deviant or have to break his programming like Connor did. If he was to be like a brother to him, he wondered if they would get along. He didn’t know what his personality would be like, though it would be very odd if it was the same as his.

_ "If you want him to? From what I've seen, you guys basically claim your family yourselves. If you both want a brotherly bond, then there's no reason you can't. I know of this one girl- she uh... Adopts every, single, ST200 she can into her family, much to her friend's amusement." He absolutely meant Chloe. Gavin snickered knowing that the possibility of Eli being surrounded by at least five of Chloe's sisters was highly likely right now. _

Connor thought for a second. Did he want a brother? He had seen how human siblings argued one second, and then fiercely protected them the next. 

“I have met several ST200s before when I went to see Kamski, the man who created me. He gave me an offer, if I shot the Chloe he would give me the information I needed. I… I couldn’t do it, not even for my mission. There was not the only time I decided not to shoot. In the end Kamski was the one to clue me into the fact that I had a manual escape route. He saved both my life, and Markus’s.” He was incredibly glad that he didn’t shoot the Tracy’s or the Chloe. It went against everything his programming wanted, yet he still did it. He seemed to have deviant behaviors far longer than he realized. 

_ He remembered hearing about that. Kamski and him weren't talking that well yet, but Chloe herself messaged Gavin about the whole thing. But he didn't want to mention too much, especially now that Connor had a mixed signals. "Kamski can be... A prick- like me! But he wouldn't have pushed if he didn't think you weren't well on your way to becoming a deviant. Unlike me, he's observant- has to be ya know, with creating all of you." That sounded subjective enough right? Gavin pulled off the route, turning into a drive through. The place was a family ran coffee/tea house, a small sitting area inside and a one-window drive through. "Want anything? I can ask if they have something that's easier on you." _

“Just a water please.” Connor said. He prosseed and Gavin said and he knew something was off. He didn’t want to push Gavin. He looked at him and it hit him. Gavin and Kamski were somehow related. His LED turned yellow for a second as he thought this over. It did make sense. He could most likely be the brother Gavin had talked about. 

With that in mind he decided to not bring it up. If Gavin wanted him to know then he’d tell him… hopefully. He decided to change the subject. “What do you think they will name the upgraded version of me? I wasn’t told that, and I am not sure if he will come with a name, or if he will be able to pick it himself.”

_ Gavin nodded, leaning over to order. He got an apple muffin and a water, then passed Connor his drink. "I wish they would get to making flavored water that's safe for you to drink- I feel bad getting something and not being able to get you something." He admitted, before the conversation topic was changed. Carefully eating with one hand and driving with the other, he waited til his mouth wasn't full to respond. "They will probably expect him to chose his own name, since Jericho would honestly have a fit if they produced a non-deviant. Though I guess you'd know more about that than me." _

Cyberlife has agreed to many conditions. They had agreed to make more androids and biocomponents. They had to agree to not create something like Amanda again, they couldn’t control the androids. 

“Even if he does come with a name is will be ale to change it. As for drinks and foods, many companies are working on it. Some have made great strides, and the first restaurant to serve food for androids will be officially open this coming year. Maybe once they open we can go… together.” 

_ There was a smile to the thought. "Consider it a date, though you'll have to pick the place. And hey, maybe that's how you two can bond a bit? If you want to be like his big brother- introduce him to different names?" Gavin offered, since it seemed to weigh heavy on Connor's mind. By the time they got to the Hank's house, Gavin had thrown away the wrapper into a bag on the backseat floor. "Ughhh- today is going to be so long. I just want to get this op done with. Connoorrr-" He whined, smiling to make sure the other knew he was playing around, and when they parked he laid his head on the other's shoulder. "You have to work with Hank on anything before the op tonight?" _

Connor chuckled and leaned his head against Gavin’s. “That sounds like a great idea.”

“No, though he probably wants to check on me. He was gotten very protective after I started to live with him full time.” He couldn’t help but think of all the times Hank got protective. It was incredibly kind, and he loved it and him, but sometimes it could be a lot. One time Hank even tried to pack him a lunch before remembering Connor didn’t need to eat. 

_ "Hey, don't take it for granted. Not everyone gets that good of a dad. You two really do make the DPD smile a bit." He said, and leaned up to kiss Connor's cheek. "I'm- I'm really happy for you Con. I guess I should admit- even when I was avoiding you- I noticed how great you two were doing. Hard to miss honestly." He couldn't help but think of what would've happened if he hadn't been the way he was for so long. Hank was friendly to him at one point, before all this. Gavin idolized the fucker, and he wondered if he focused less on the job, and more on helping his idol out, if they would've been friends now. The thought stung, and Gavin quickly moved to wrap his arms around Connor, seeking comfort. He was ready to be pushed off, 'too much you idiot', but for once he wasn't expecting it. "I'm going to stay out here- that way you two can talk." _

Connor wrapped his arms and held Gavin. He stayed that way for awhile. He could tell something had bothered him, and wanted to give as much comfort as possible. 

“You can come in, I’m sure Hank will be happy to be able to fuss over someone.” He chuckled, keeping his arms around Gavin. “He needs someone he can force feed. Plus… I definitely want you to see what his reaction to my neck is going to be.” He wouldn’t admit it, but he was nervous about how Hank was going to react. He knew that he would still care for him, but he didn’t want him to be disappointed. Hank knew how he felt, even encouraged it, but a small illogical part of him worried.

_ That had his heart rate spiking. 'You can't do that- you don't belong- you don't deserve that- you weren't there for him.' "No no- father son moment Con, I don't wanna ruin that. Plus, I really don't want yelled at for leaving marks on you- I've avoided the 'shotgun talk' up to this point hah." Gavin pulled back just to kiss the other, looking at him. "Go ahead, I'll be fine here promise. U-Unless you want to come in with him, I could go too-" Midway of talking he realized he was assuming Connor wanted to go in with him, and would've face palmed if that didn't mean letting go. _

“I’ll drive back with you.” He kissed Gavin before pulling back. He could do this. Sure making Hank upset was far scarier than anyone he had ever faced. He stepped out of the car and walked to the door. He paused only for a moment before going in.

It took him fifteen minutes to leave the house, and when he did Hank stood behind him at the door and raised his hand to Gavin. Connor smiled back at Hank before getting into the warm car. He had on tight black jeans and a black shirt. It had a design on it that he didn’t pay attention to. He could easily move around in it if need be.

_ Kissing back, he tried to express the relief at the simple comment. He sat back in his seat, and spent the time listening and humming along to music, using it to calm down. 'It's alright' was playing as Connor came back into the car. Gavin waved to Hank, offering a small, hopefully friendly smile, though the instinctual fear in the back of his head sunk lower. Black looked nice on Connor, and Gavin didn't stop from looking over him. 'Those jeans are going to be the death of me.' "How'd everything go?" _

Connor sighed in relief as he sat down, looking over to Gavin. “Incredibly well. His face was quite amusing and he cursed multiple times. He also told me that he didn’t need the details after I tried to explain why my neck is the way it is.” He chuckled. He knew he didn’t need to explain to Hank what happened, but it was hilarious to see how he reacted.

“He also invited you to dinner. He said he needed to have the ‘If you hurt my son, I’ll break your face’ talk. He will not be cooking, however, I will.” Connor shuddered at the thought of Hank trying to cook a full meal. Sure he could do simple stuff, but Connor took care of the rest. “If there is a certain dish you would like, please let me know. Also the dinner can be at any time that’s most convenient to you.”

_ That got a smile, Gavin relaxing once more. "Connor- no one's going to want details- except Tina and she'd use them to tease me." He teased, and then started the car up. They still had enough time to just make it, or be a couple minutes late. He could blame it on the op being 'stressful' if Fowler gave them shit. _

_ "Ah phck, the shotgun talk! This is going to be my first shotgun talk Connor-" He whined, though he was still smiling. "I'm happy with whatever, though- I tend to eat healthy already? Despite what the muffin suggests- I try to eat healthy I guess." It was true- if he didn't have time to cook, he likely got Chinese because of the meat/veggie aspect or just flat out ate raw vegetables. _

"I know, I just wanted to see how he'd react. I do find it quite funny that he's going to threaten you though. If you hurt me I'd be perfectly capable of handling it myself." He said, smirking at Gavin. 

He had kicked his ass. He wondered if Gavin would be willing to spar with him at some point. He also started to sort through his recipes. 

"How does duck breast with a pomegranate-citrus glaze sound?" 

_ That smirk and the comment, he couldn't stop himself, filter almost non-existent when it came to these comments. "I really think he misunderstands just how much I like getting my ass kicked." And then his wink, trying to get the other to laugh a bit. _

_ "Never had duck before, but the rest sounds really good. Want me to bring something over too?" He planned to anyways, probably a cider to share- it was polite! But if Connor wanted him to bring food he would. "Not the best at cooking but I can manage something." Jello- He could manage jello. _

Connor laughed and reached over and put his hand around the back of Gavin's neck, and rubbed a soft circle. 

"Maybe a wine. Also, speaking of ass kicking, I was wondering if you would like to train with me. As long as we don't use weapons I won't sustain any major damages. This will allow you to not hold back." He said. Plus seeing Gavin possibly shirtless and sweaty was a very appealing thought. 

_ The contact had Gavin going stiff, and he was so thankful his foot was already on the break because he would've likely accidentally hit it, with the electricity that suddenly ran through him. _

_ "Connor yes- yes- fucker don't touch there while I'm driving!" His voice was a real whine there, face turning very red as his shoulders got the idea to finally hunch up, looking like a cat. "We won't be able to spar if we get into a wreck- I'm not joking I will break with you touching me there." _

Connor let him go and pouted slightly. "I like it when you make those cute noises though." 

He kept his hands to himself though. He was half tempted to have Gavin park at the station and be late because of… stuff. The shirt Gavin was wearing was almost too much for him. He tried to calm himself though, as he didn't want the whole police department to see his problem.

_ "I know you do you lil' shit- But I like driving and not wrecking." He thankfully wasn't sporting one himself, though he knew the other could easily work him up. Cue the cargo pants- they hid a little bit at least. "Hell, we could probably spar tomorrow you know- if you don't have a case already by then. After all the paperwork." _

"I'd like that. I do have the advantage with paperwork. Hank normally lets me do his as well since I can get it done at much faster paise, so if you would like I can do most of yours." He offered. He didn't have to put any of it on actual paper, so doing it in his head decreased the amount of time taken doing paperwork by 99%. 

_ That's right- Connor was Hank's partner. They'd have to split up at some point. "Can you even do that? Given that we aren't work partners." He asked, and reached over to take Connor's hand, suddenly wanting contact. "I mean, if you're allowed, that would be great- we'd have more time to spar, but don't be getting in trouble cause of me. You're the golden boy, you should stay that way." _

_ They pulled into the parking lot now, and Gavin had to focus on parking. _

Connor squeezed his hand slightly. "Of course, the Captain doesn't really mind as long as it's done right and on time. My reports are normally much more… clearer than Hank's, so Fowler seems to prefer it if I do." 

After they parked he sat there and glanced at Gavin, "are you ready to go in?"

_ "Alright- but if you need a break you fucking let me know- I will find ice and ice your shirt if you work too much." That sensitivity he had was going to be Gavin's favorite prank topic. _

_ Gavin seemed to think it over, then leaned over, kissing Connor and holding onto him. He was leaning over, nearly in the other's lap, but he didn't know when they'd get a chance again. It was entirely stupid and human, but the separation had him scared Connor would suddenly want nothing to do with him, and right now- he needed to get rid of that. _

Connor hummed happily and easily situated them into a more comfortable position with Gavin fully sitting on his lap. This was definitely not going to help his problem, but he did really care. He held Gavin's neck slightly. He didn't want to choke him (not unless he asked) but he wanted him to feel the pressure. He used his other hand to hold Gavin's waist. 

_ They definitely needed to talk about what they both liked, Gavin's hand carefully threading into the back of Connor's hair. The pressure got a moan out of him, low and controlled, and he knew they should stop. Did he care- not as much. 'You're going to be a bad influence on him and Fowler won't let you work together.' He cursed the rational side of his head, but pulled back. "Phck, I just wanted to kiss you but you just had to be so damn good looking." _

_ He didn't move, not yet. "We're going to be late." He sounded torn about this, and he was. _

Connor only hummed and kissed Gavin's neck. He'd gladly be late every day if it meant he could hold and kiss Gavin like this. 

"I don't mind. We can be a little late." And he meant it. Fowler would definitely be ok with it, especially if he helped set them up. Connor had shown up early multiple times and Fowler had grumbled at him to be late instead. He bit slightly at Gavin's neck, being careful around the bruises he already had. 

_ There was going to a chiding 'Connor', but it became a broken shudder of the other's name when his neck was attacked. His hips bucked a bit and he melted, holding on slightly tighter to the other. "Oh phck, you are- playing dirty." He was melting under the other's attention, and fuck it- Gavin didn't have a strong will against Connor anyways. "Want me to take care of you?" He offered, since they couldn't make a mess at this point.  _

Connor rolled his hips up just slightly. He loved how vocal Gavin was, it really helped to know if he enjoyed what Connor was doing. 

"As long as I can take care of you after." He didn't exactly know how to give a blowjob, but hoped he could do it well. He was half tempted to look it up, but ultimately decided against it. 

_ The offer sounded tempting, but he didn't want the other to feel like he needed to do this. The roll of his hips reminded Gavin of just how big he was. "You'd make a mess though Con. My pants can hide my problem, someone else decided to wear the tightest jeans on this planet- you're hiding nothing." He rolled his hips back, then leaned down, looking for the lever to push Connor's chair back. _

_ "You can take care of me til I can't talk later, but right now, I want to make sure we don't get sent home for being too shameless in the office." He teased, then kissed the other again. It wasn't up for debate, though he knew full well Connor could convince him otherwise and just hoped the little bit of reason he had got through to him. _

Connor knew that was probably for the best, but the doesn't mean he couldn't tease the other. So he rolled his hips up and pulled Gavin's down in time. 

"Alright, but only because of these jeans and that I've never given a blowjob before." He helped find the level and pushed the chair back. He would definitely look up tips on what to do. Not having a gag reflex was going to come in handy. 

_ Gavin gasped, arching into the other and biting his lip. Thankfully the other relented, and he chuckled. "By the time you get the chance, you'll have plenty to learn from." Gavin slid down to his knees, knowing this had to look a lot dirtier than he planned. _

_ "I want this on record, you are the only guy I've ever needed this bad." He huffed, moving to mouth the tent that was obvious now. "Lift your hips- I'm going to see if I can't short circuit you with my hands and tongue alone." That was absolutely a promise. _

He loved and hated these tight pants. Loved them because he got to do this, but hated them because they were so tight it almost hurt. 

"I have no doubt about that." He lifted his hips. He wouldn't mind starting the day off like this all the time. 

_ Pulling them down far enough they'd stay clear of any messed, Gavin then leaned in, kissing the tip and grinning. "Anything specific you'd like me to repeat Con?" His voice dropped a bit, want softening it.  _

_ He was already dipping down, eyeing his marked thighs and now aiming for his hips while his hand starting to stroke the other slowly. More marks, he wanted the other to not be able to look anywhere without marks. He knew Connor could get rid of them, and that was fine- he just enjoyed see them. _

Connor whined softly. He could barely sit still, and used one hand to grip the seat.

"Anything," he ran his hand through Gavin's hair. 

_ "Nuh uh- use your words Connor. I want you to ask for something, or this is going to be a very quick morning." He twisted his wrist and sped up, using that as a threat. "After all, I can just do this, and clean up the mess?" _

_ He knew this was teasing they didn't have time for, but Connor seemed to like it. _

"Your tongue… and mouth, please." Connor begged. He had never begged for anything before, and part of him loved it. The other part wanted to hear Gavin beg, but they had time for that later. 

_ "And where would you like them?" He asked, though he did move his mouth off the other's hip, removing his hand to lick along the other. "I don't think we should try to aim for fucking my voice given- at work- but I can still do some things." He held the tip in his mouth, humming while he did and looking up to the other. _

Connor moaned and his head fell back, a shiver running through him like electricity. He tried to muffle himself my covering his mouth. He didn't want the whole parking lot to know what they were doing. 

"Anywhere, god yes, please." His thoughts coming out jumbled. 

_ Deciding he really shouldn't tease him too much, Gavin sped his hand up a bit, wrapping his mouth around the tip. His tongue traced circles, and he switched between humming to the song and sucking. His free hand massaged at the bruises he left before, wanting to touch in every possible way. _

Connor kept his hand over his mouth to keep quiet, but even then it didn't do much good. He could feel that he was already getting close, and it felt so good. 

"Jesus fuck!" Hank yelled out. Connor gasped and looked at the window. Hank had his back turned away and was rubbing his eyes. 

_ There was a unique kind of happiness Gavin hadn't felt in a long time, knowing he was good for a partner, knowing he was wanted, and just as he was about to say 'fuck it' and drive Connor nuts again with his lack of a reflex, the loud yelling had everything coming to a halt. _

_ There was no amount of makeup that could achieve how red Gavin turned short of paint itself, purple starting on his cheeks even as he immediately heated up to the point he whined. He didn't even have a jacket to hide Connor with, so he pulled away, planning to do so with his body so Connor could make himself proper. He was near silent, breathing and all- heat pooling everywhere. _

Connor quickly pulled his pants back up. He had never felt this embarrassed in his life. He wasn't embarrassed that he was with Gavin, he was more embarrassed about how Hank had seen him. 

"I'm so sorry." He mumbled to Gavin. He really should have been paying more attention to his surroundings. He should have been able to hear a car pull up. 

_ "Mhm." His voice was a lot smaller, and he just laid his head on the other's leg. "Need- need a moment." Soft and quiet, Gavin closed his eyes, and pressed his forehead into the other's thigh. "Can you get the door?" _

_ He was embarrassed by Hank of all people having to see that- but then more so about the fact that- he was still turned on even through the embarrassment. Thankfully a quick look down and it wasn't too obvious, he wouldn't be able to sit down though. _

Connor nodded and leaned down to kiss Gavin's hair. He opened the door and got out, letting Gavin get out when he was ready. 

He ran up to Hank who wouldn't look at him. 

"Don't, I don't wanna hear it." Hank grumbled. "I need to bleach my eyes." 

"I, um, I'm sorry… you had to see that. I will make sure to still be aware of my surroundings… next time." He really wished he had his coin now. Or a tie. Or literally anything to make this be less awkward. 

_ Eventually the man did melt out of the car- falling somewhat gracefully. He straightened out, and again was quiet, watching Connor and definitely not looking over at Hank, ever, in this next decade. Seeing Connor so tense, Gavin remembered the lack of a tie the other would fidget with when nervous- and Connor had to be nervous. Gavin reach back into the car, opening the middle console area and pulling out some gum. Then he grabbed something else, and silently placed it into Connor's hand. _

_ A fidget spinner, smooth prismatic metal with some kind of white design. It wasn't brand new but it was still in good condition. _

_ There was a quick kiss to Connor's cheek- Hank just saw him suck Connor off this was tame, and then he finally felt ready to yeet himself into the sun. "Sorry Lieutenant." It was all that he could actually think to say, and then Gavin turned away. _

"Just don't let me have to see that again." Hank grumbled. 

Connor looked at what Gavin gave him and spun it. He balanced it on one finger and watched it with a smile. He looked at Gavin and smiled. "Thank you." He mumbled, before focusing on the spinner. 

"I will make sure that you don't." Connor said. He still couldn't look at Hank, he probably wouldn't be able to for awhile. 

_ "Yes Lieutenant." It was the same tone newly uniformed Reed used way back, simply because he felt like that young officer, getting caught messing around in the breakroom. As Connor focused on the spinner, Gavin let a small smile break his impassive face and nodded to him. A simple tug as his shirt to let him know he was going on, and Gavin moved away. _

_ He made sure to lock his car of course, and headed to the doors, unable to just stand in the tense air. He never managed to get caught by a parent before, but doing so in your 30s had to be a new record. He rubbed his neck, focusing on the scar to ease his embarrassment. _

Connor watched Gavin go and wished to escape with him. “Hank, I am really sorry.”” He said again. 

“Look, I really don’t five a fuck what you and him do, you’re both adults… well, you’re technically an adult, I just don’t to know, or see it.” Hank said. He turned and placed a hand on Connor’s shoulder. He finally met his eyes. “I am glad that you’re happy. Now lets go inside, I have to money to collect.” 

Connor snorted, of course there was a bet, and it wasn’t surprising that Hank had won some. 

_ With everything that had happened, Gavin actually forgot he looked like he got mauled. The receptionist looked up and snickered, something he was used to, but when he actually entered the DPD, aiming for the breakroom to grab a fresh coffee... He couldn't miss everyone looking at his neck. Thankfully, Tina existed. _

_ Gavin was suddenly extremely happy he only needed to be here to check up on the case, because he wasn't leaving the break room. Not with Tina loudly counting off the marks to the small crowd of officers and Chris- he rested against the table in his classic pose, and Tina poked each bruise. _

Connor walked in with Hank. He smiled at the receptionist who's jaw dropped open. Right, he still had the bruises. "Morning." He called out, which only got a small 'good morning' in return.

As he passed people, they also had shocked expressions on their faces. He guessed that they were putting two and two together. He tried not to laugh, but this was just too good. He didn’t see Gavin at his desk so he poked his head into the breakroom. The sight stopped him in his tracks. Tina was poking Gavin’s bruises and people were crowded around. He felt kinda bad for Gavin so he stepped in and cleared his throat loudly. 

_ Tina looked up first, and it was seconds before realization dawned. "Oh. OHH!" Everyone else eventually followed suit, and Gavin slowly moved to rest on his elbows, face deep red as he glared at Tina. At least she was the only one brave enough to publicly give him shit, everyone else was just enjoying his suffering. _

_ Though really he didn't mind. There was still some pride at being so marked, so he wasn't hiding that away. However, he was hiding from her teasing. She clapped her hands, running over to Connor. "I'm so happy for you two! I didn't think he'd ever stop being such a prude at work." _

_ "I'm not a prude-" _

_ He was ignored, Tina looking over Connor now. "I want to know everything-" _

_ Chris chimed in, other officers leaving now that the focus was not on watching the detective suffer. "We don't! You three have fun- Tina send me the photo." Reed groaned at that, figuring Tina took a photo. _

Connor moved so the other officers made their way out, some patting him on the shoulder. Connor glanced at Gavin, who was incredibly red, it was adorable. “I’m sure that conversation isn’t… appropriate for the work place.” He didn’t know if Gavin wanted anyone to know the details, or if he wanted to tell Tina about it. 

“Are you alright?” He asks Gavin. He could hack into Tina’s phone if Gavin really wanted the image to be deleted. It would probably get shown at the holiday party, for everyone to be reminded. Tina would probably manage to get a picture of him too, which he didn’t really mind.

_ "Spshshsh-" Tina made a noise, moving to let Connor come in and instead standing beside Gavin, grinning. "Does it look like I expect it to be- Gavin is the kin-" She got shoved, hard, Gavin nearly yelling the 'shut it!' he snapped. At the question, he looked over to Connor, melting a bit. _

_ "Mmm yeah, I forget how damn nosey officers can be. How did you hold up with-" Hank. His eyes flicked out to the main room before looking down with a slight smile. He moved away to stand beside Connor, and Tina recovered. _

_ "You two are so cute- I owe Hank money but- Don't give me that look Gavin, I doubted you'd ever let your walls down long enough to actually talk to Connor let alone date him." _

Were they dating? They had set up multiple plans and are considered dates. Gavin never specifically said they were dating, or exclusive. He assumed they were, but maybe Gavin didn't feel the same way. A nagging feeling of doubt pulled at him. He stepped closer to Gavin, wanting to be close to him. 

"If Gavin is fine with it, I can tell you all the details at a later time." He told Tina. You want to go too much into detail but enough to make her satisfied. He also needed to turn in the info they had already gathered.

_ Feeling the other step towards him, Gavin bit the inside of his cheek then rested his head on Connor's shoulder. There was so much fear of getting told off, and his eyes stayed glued to the floor. He didn't want to push any boundaries after all. "Hm? Oh- tell whomever you'd like I don't really mind. Tina will get it out of me eventually anyways but- if you wanna tell others Con I don't-" He cut off, seeing Tina's grin at him. _

_ "Jeez- I haven't seen him this calm in ages Connor. Finally I can talk to someone about all the shit you've dumped on me over ten something years of friendship." _

Connor wrapped an arm around him, almost protectively. "I'm sure if Gavin wants me to know about said 'shit' he will tell me." He didn't want someone to tell Gavin's secrets. He knew Tina meant well but he would still rather hear everything from Gavin himself. 

_ Tina held up her hands defensively, though she shot a smirk to the two, whistling lowly. "Message received, loud and clear!" She grabbed a coffee, walking over to the two. _

_ Gavin reached so one hand could reach the arm wrapped around him, and closed the distance, leaning into the other a bit. He knew he had that dopey smile on his face, and Tina chuckled, punching Gavin's arm lightly. "Message me later fucker- And Connor- I know where Gavin lives- you leave him fucked up and I will learn about it~" She sing-songed, tilting her cup at Connor. _

_ Gavin, absolutely not leaving that in the air, growled back. "Tina you're not my mom!" But she was already walking off, and Gavin sagged into the other. "Remind me why any of these phcks are hired here and not Detroit Today." _

"They are all good cops." He said. He leaned down to kiss Gavin on the cheek. "I'll go turn in what we have. You can stay here if you want." Connor suggested. He didn't want Gavin to be uncomfortable, though a part of him wanted to show off all the marks he had left. 

_ "And let you do all the work, hell no." He huffed, though smiled at the kiss. He pulled away first, grabbing his cup and refilling it before walking to the door. "Even if you wanted to hide me away, I'm pretty sure Tina is about to go around and look for a megaphone to announce it at this point." He joked, trying to wink to him. _

_ "I hope you don't mind everyone pretty much knows now." Gavin rubbed the back of his neck at that, smiling a bit softer. "If anyone gives you shit though, fucking tell me- I'll fight 'em." _

"I don't mind at all… I quite like it actually." Connor mumbles. He wasn't sure if that was a normal feeling, or something more unique. 

"And if I need to fight someone I'm sure I can manage." He liked the thought of Gavin standing up for him, but he would much rather get punched himself than Gavin. 

_ Rubbing his face to try and chase some of the red away, he felt not even Fowler could ruin this good mood. "Good- cause- I like it too." He then turned, heading out the door, unable to get rid of the happy grin. He settled into his chair, already pulling up the files he would need to fill out and writing down his part of what he did. They still had another night to go, and Gavin thought about the time he should head in. 'Does it matter, Connor is the one taking you back... But maybe you can head in early, say you didn't have anything better to do plus- you want to make up for yesterday.' A convincing cover story, he'd also be able to look around. _

Connor went over to his desk and sat down. He was getting ready to get to work when Deena walked up, her hand on her hip. 

"Connor, honey, you're how old again?" She asked, raising one eyebrow. 

"I was created in August 2038, why?" He tilts his head slightly. 

"Don't you think you should wait to have your first hickeys till after you turn one?" Deen says, smiling. 

"That is not the only first thing that happened before I was one." Connor smiled up at her as she made a fake shocked expression before ruffling his hair. 

"I'll kick some ass if you need, but be safe alright?" She says before walking off. Connor smiles to himself and tries to fix his hair before starting the paperwork. He gets his done quickly, doing most of it in his head. He looks over to see how far along Gavin is.

_Gavin's was mostly recounting everything he saw, the amount, the faces. It would link up with Connor's video and audio, but he still had to do it. With everyone staring at the detective today, he didn't feel the eyes on him. Every so often someone would walk by, and Gavin could hear their reactions- most people surprised and some snickering, but he didn't focus on it._

_ When he was finished he looked around for Connor, then motioned for him to come over, wanting to share his plan for tonight with him. _

Connor smiled and got up, walking over. He got momentarily distracted when someone raised their fist until he realized it was for a fist bump. The officer then patted him on the back. 

Everyone had gotten used to him working there, and many treated him just like a human, but he guessed that they were trying to show him some support, which made his smile grow wider. Of course one or two officers were still unsure but they never treated him badly. 

He finally reached Gavin's desk and sat on the edge, making sure not to sit on anything.

_ He didn't stop the smile from seeing the officer be so friendly with Connor. He was glad everyone supported him, and really, who wouldn't. 'Still can't believe he wants me out of all the guys here.' He shook his head from the thought, and then again when he briefly entertained the thought of placing his head in the other's lap. _

_ "Hey- I got a new idea for tonight." He started, leaning back in his seat instead. His arms rested across his chest right now, looking up to the other and watching the stray curl that Connor could never fix. "I was thinking- what if I head in early tonight? Say I want to 'make up' for last night, offer to clean out the back rooms for 'em. I might be able to spot something in their usual room that seems off." _

Connor thought for a second, pulling the spinner out of his pocket. "That does seem like a good idea, make sure to stay aware of your surroundings, you don't want someone to catch you by surprise." He blushed at the thought of what happened this morning, but pushed it aside. 

"I'll come in at the normal time then, or maybe a little later just in case. I don't want them catching on. If you don't get all the info we need then I will try to buy biocomponents. If that doesn't work… well, I'm not sure. This is really the only options if we don't want to cause a seen… well, a scene with fighting." They had been caught twice now, though with Hank it was much more embarrassing.

_ For half a moment he forgot he gave Connor that thing, and couldn't help the smile he had watching it move. "I will- I don't think any guards actually go back until the club opens up- so I should be good." He assured, then tilted his head back. "I should get leaving in an hour then, so I can get the makeup on my scar and get dressed up." _

_ Gavin frowned at the thought of fighting in the dancer get up, knowing that it would probably get ugly quick. "What all do we have on them right now?" He asked, and instead of leaning forward he just spun his chair, rocking in it slightly. _

Connor chuckled slightly as Gavin spun around. "We have the audio of a trade going down, the evidence of red ice, but other than that not much. If we can find where they are keeping the biocomponents then we can make an arrest." He wouldn't have his handcuffs with him, but he was sure he could find something. 

He briefly wondered if Gavin liked handcuffs before he quickly shut that thought down. He did not need to think about that right now. He tried to subtly hide his blushing face.

_ There was a tilt to his head as the other started to go blue. It wasn't the only time he seen it, but Gavin was being good right now! He got out his phone, messaging the other to spare him having to talk. _

_ What did you just think of. _

_ "I'll keep an eye out. There's only one other area besides the back rooms to check, and that's the kitchen and storage area- behind the bar. But-" He hadn't seen any large bags go back and forth. So they had to be placed in the room before hand or there was a trap door they didn't know of. "I think I'll manage to get something for ya." He said happily. _

He nodded and quickly sent Gavin a message. He spun the spinner faster.

Handcuffs

"I'm sure you will, you are a very good detective." He pointed out. Even before, Connor had noticed this. Gavin always got his work done, and closed cases faster than others.

_ There was a reason Gavin had a tilting chair compared to the normal chairs other had- tilting back very suddenly, grinning up to Connor. He didn't even look at his phone when he typed this time.  _ _ I have a couple pairs _

_ "Just need the right motivation." And it was true. For a long time getting higher in the ranks was his only motivation. Now? He just wanted to keep up, prove to everyone he deserved this title. A promotion would be fucking fantastic, but the need to be better than everyone died out shortly before the revolution.  _

_ Now? He just wanted Connor to stay proud of him. It was obvious to everyone Gavin enjoyed praise- and while most took it as an ego thing- Tina(and Fowler if he really thought of it) knew otherwise at this point. He had to push Fowler far out of his mind right now. _

Connor mumbled to himself, slightly embarrassed, but glad that Gavin had a positive reaction. He wasn't sure who would have the handcuffs on. He wouldn't mind them on himself, though he did like the idea of Gavin in them. If they were to harsh on Gavin's skin he could find knots for rope or a softer fabric.

Not too surprising he sent back and smiled at Gavin, watching him for a reaction. 

_ Honestly- this was... Really fucking cute. Sitting here together, texting each other, enjoying the company despite it being at work. He wanted to wheel over- 'PHCK THIS.' He was going to do it. He wheeled over, lips pursed in determination until he was in the perfect position to rest his head back on the other's thigh, messaging him back. _

_ If you're gonna wear em, I suggest the leather ones until you get used to them. i can handle my metal ones I have _

_ He sent it then stuck his tongue out at the other. "What time should I expect you to walk in tonight?" _

Connor ran his empty hand through Gavin's hair. "Probably about thirty minutes to an hour later than I did before."

I would be interested in that, but we'll talk about all of that later. As I understand it is quite an important talk.

He couldn't help himself and booped Gavin's nose. Once he did, he covered his face with his hands. Gavin was just too cute, he wanted to hold him tightly and never let go. 

_ Yeah- I didn't want to have that talk right after your first time though. But we will, and whatever you're curious about, I'll try to walk you through it. _

_ It was a promise- he wanted Connor to have fun and enjoy letting loose with whatever he found out he enjoyed- safely. At the boop, the bad memories that threatened to come up just- melted, and Gavin broke out into a soft laugh. "Alright- alright- gahahah." He turned his face, still smiling widely.  _

_ His phone buzzed with a picture and oh. He was quick to send it to Connor, then look to the side to see Chris of all the motherfuckers grinning at his desk. The picture was of the two as Gavin was laughing. 'Kind of a cute background...' _

Connor uncovered his very blue face and smiled at Gavin. He blinked as he processed the images. He quickly saved it, and made sure he had easy access to it. It made his metaphorical heart flutter. 

He glanced around before shrugging and leaning down to place a soft kiss against Gavin's lips. 

"Connor!" Hank yelled from across the room. Connor had been learning about police etiquette, so instead of stopping he flipped Hank off, kissing Gavin for a second longer. He heard Deena yell a hell yeah. 

It took him a second before he realized he had gotten another picture, this one coming straight from Chris. The picture was quite funny, and sent it to Gavin. It was of them kissing and Connor flipping Hank off.

_ The shock almost had Gavin falling out of his chair- but he quickly melted, brain turning to goo at the kiss. Even Hank's yell this time couldn't phase him, too high on warmth and- something stronger he didn't want to acknowledge yet. When his eyes opened, he sent a loopy grin up to Connor. _

_ Then he looked to his phone and it was his turn to hide his face, placing the phone on it and groaning. "This is going to start a war of who can get the best picture, you know that." _

_ He knew these fuckers- they were all competitive. Eventually he moved the phone, and checked the time. 'Phck.' It was definitely time to go. He leaned forward to sit upright, and sighed. "Well phck- gotta get going. See you tonight- hopefully-" His sentence cut off, Tina sending him a text. _

_ I BET CHRIS 50 AND THE GOOD CREAMER ON HIM NEXT TIME THAT YOU WOULD STAND ON YOUR CHAIR AND ANNOUNCE IT NOW GO GAY BOI GO. _

_ Flavor. _

_ You pick. _

_ He was competitive too, looking to Chris, then to Fowler's office, then back. Chris mouthed 'oh no' as Gavin grinned. _

Connor looked to where Gavin was and tilted his head. He had gotten a message, and he assumed it was from Chris, except Chris's reaction didn't make much sense. 

He looked to Hank who shrugged and flipped him off. He smiled at Hank widely, he could tell Hank was proud. He looked back to Gavin. 

"Are you ok?" 

_ Inhaling, Gavin got up, and then stood on his chair. Chris groaned, getting out his phone anyways. "Fuck you Reed!"  _

_ Gavin, standing on the chair, clapped his hands, and inhaled. He knew his face was turning red, but he could do this. Plus, maybe it would ease Connor's worries. Pulling out his phone, he played a song from his childhood, and coughed into his hand. _

_ "Attention every phcking one. I have some news for you all! If it's not obvious- this guy," he did jazz hands at Connor, eyes closed with a red face, "Is my boyfriend- sorry but this guy is off the market!" _

Connor froze. He felt like his brain had shut off. What snapped him out of it was Hank's yell. "What the actual fuck Reed?" 

Connor blinked and looked up at Gavin. Connor knew his whole face must be blue by now. A few people clapped, someone whistle, while others groaned and handed over money. The others rolled their eyes and got back to work. He… didn't know what to do. 

"If you hurt him I'll rip your dick off." Deena yelled at Gavin. Connor snorted and shook his head. He watched as Chris walked over and handed Tina money. That was what probably spurred Gavin on. 

So he was definitely Gavin's boyfriend. He tried to hide his wide smile. "Gavin, oh my god." He mumbled. 

_ Gavin was no better, very red but very proud of himself. At Deena's yell he laughed. "I'll hold you to that!" He said back, getting down off the chair and sitting on it. Looking to Connor, he was terrified it was too much, but that smile and that blush, Gavin couldn't help the nervous, bubbled laugh. _

_ "Well uh- you- I... I just wanted you to be absolutely certain how I felt Con. Figured I should do it the most 'me' way possible- loudly and obnoxiously. You're- good with this?" _

It took Connor a second to be able to speak. Apparently he could be so shocked he couldn't talk. Once he could though, he started laughing. This was definitely a very Gavin thing to do. 

"That was amazing." He wheezed out. He pressed a kiss to Gavin's cheek. "You need to get going though. I'll be able to take care of myself, be safe alright?" He finally calmed down enough to make out full sentences. 

_ He reached across, giving the other a hug and a kiss in return, then getting up. "Hah- alright alright. Tonight we get this OP!" He assured, a confident grin on him before heading out to the door. "Always am!" He called back, and Tina nudged him with her shoulder as he left. _


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Normal  
> Lupo: Italicized  
> Text message: Underlined

_ Gavin expected the hours without Connor to drag, and they did, slightly. But it wasn't as hard to deal with, it left him time to think, everything he wanted to do right. He knew the other was one text away, and that he was willing to actually text if Gavin needed. _

_ It was all so different than what he was used to, and he was happy for it. He got to the club early, swapping his v-neck for a tanktop after he finished with his glitter and makeup. No one bat an eye at the bruises, Gavin just laying glitter over them. "You're in early?" _

_ "Yeah, wanted to make up for making a mess of the room last night... You guys need any help with anything?" He was given a look, but eventually, the girl relented. He was given his outfit, which he had to change into now, and a scrub brush and bucket, then another bucket with cleaner for the seats and table, and cloths. Changing into his outfit, he knew the reason for it was, the guards' eyes on him and not out of suspicion. _

_ But no one followed him, and he walked back. Doing the first room quickly, enough so it looked done, he moved to the second room, knowing that was where their deals were happening. He didn't close the curtain, there wasn't cameras back here, and he didn't want to raise suspicion. As he got on his knees and started scrubbing the floor, he looked for anything that he knew was a latch or cover. He got under the table, then looked to the booth. _

_ There was hinges under the booth seat. 'Bingo.' He quickly took a picture of it, listened for footsteps, then opened it. There was a ladder, and he made sure to take and hide the bucket and shit. There was a door at the end leading to the storage rooms and bathrooms, he could be taking a piss or cleaning those. So he took them down, and shined his flashlight in. _

_ The place was no bigger than a crawlspace attic. But what was in it stopped Gavin's blood. He messaged Connor immediately.  _

_ Found... Everything. We need to move tonight. _

_ He gulped and was careful to not make any noise. He could see blue LEDs, partial bodies, hanging in tubs like mannequin halves. Other tubs assumedly filled to the brim with components, he felt so much fear and pain. He couldn't stay down there, and quickly got out with his items. _

_ He was launched back to the revolution. After Connor left, he used the excuse to get out of the DPD. He made his way to the scrapyards and stole components he knew were vital. He ran home, and to his apartment, the silence and open doors of other apartment's haunting him. Opening the door, the immediately sign something was off was the light. He spent the night patching up androids who were terrified, and seen one or two bodies like the ones in that crawlspace. _

_ Shaking, he continued cleaning, unaware he was crying til it hit the seat. "Shit shit- calm. Calm. Move on." He finished the room, and then quickly did the others. He was in the last room before anyone checked up on him, and it was one of the guards. "Heh- already time huh?" Despite everything, he kept it together now. "Got fucking spray in my eyes, don't worry, I'll do my best as always~" _

Connor got the text and smiled. He knew Gavin would find everything. Though he was worried about what he'd find. Biocomponents meant one of two things. Either they stole from Cyberlife… or they took the parts from androids. The thought made his blood curdle. He really hoped it was the former. 

Good job

He shook himself and waited a bit longer. Once enough time passed he went to the club. It was incredibly full that day, as he looked around for Gavin he got bumped many times. He started walking towards him when he saw a staff member walk up to Gavin and pull him down. 

"Come with me. You need to dance, but don't speak unless spoken to." The lady said, pulling Gavin down. 

Connor watched as Gavin was lead towards the back rooms. He'd have to get in there with someone else. He watched each of the dancer's before deciding on one. He was another android so he really hoped he would help Connor out.

_ It would take a very trained eye to see how not-alright Gavin was. His grin was fake, eyes cold and grey like an incoming storm. Even how he was moving was slightly more- aggressive. Much to the crowd's joy. Not even the praise could get the image out of his mind, but he had no time to further explain. He was left on a new type of edge, so when the routine was thrown off, he already was alert. But he wasn't fucking this up now. "Yes ma'am." He purred, smiling to her like a lazy cat would do. _

_ He followed her, and realized very suddenly yellow was on a stage. 'Wait- no- no no.' His chest twisted but he kept the easy going smile, and was lead back to room two. There was three guys in there, thankfully none of them armed at a first look. The boss was in the middle, a thick android, construction worker or soldier model of some type, and then two other guys, none of them sporting LEDs. The guy in the middle spoke first, and Gavin felt how it settled on his chest like dead weight. "My my, red really is that pretty! Go on, dance for us darling. Boys, as always, on me." _

_ 'One of them has to be human. Or both of them except the boss.' He got on the stage, beginning a slower dance, keeping his eyes on the boss out of habit. _

Connor quickly payed for the room and smiled at the other android. He slid his skin back and touched the other. He sent him a quick message about what room he wanted and what he wanted him to do. The android blinked for a second before nodding and leading Connor. 

Connor looked at the guard, scanning him. His stress levels were higher than normal, and he kept his hand on his gun. 

Once in the room the android, who's me was Michael, sat next to him. He as incredibly grateful for him. The other touched his arm and he pulled his skin back. 

"If you need me to, I can distract the guard." Micheal sent to him. 

Connor smiled and shook his head, he didn't want anyone to get hurt. Thank you, he mouthed before closing his eyes. He wanted to make sure he could hear every little thing going on in the room beside him.

Jack grins as he watched the man dance. He looks at the other been before grinning and reaching out to pull the man, by his waist, onto his lap. He pushed him down roughly while rolling his hips up. 

"He's far more muscular than the others, I think I might keep him." He says.

_ Immediately Gavin's hackles raised, but his kept his voice sweet even as the other ground into him. It wasn't against the rules so far, but Gavin hated it- so much. He couldn't wait to see this fucker in jail. _

_ Unable to speak he settled with a sweet smile, lifting his hips and moving to start dancing as he would've for any other normal customer. But then hands settled on his ass and grabbed hard, and Gavin snapped, going to try and move away. "He's soft in the right places though- bet you work out for that don't you?" _

_ "Hey now, be careful how hard you squeeze- I gotta go home tonight." His voice was a rumbling purr, and he was glad, because it would've shook. _

_ The other guy sighed, watching the two impassively as he waited for them to get finished. "This is why we get the same dancer. Can you two try to focus on what we're supposed to be doing?" _

Connor stiffened but didn't move. He felt like shooting someone, or punching the wall. Instead he did complex math to calm him somewhat. Gavin could take care of himself, and if need be Connor was right there. He kept repeating that to himself over and over again. 

"Aw don't be a pussy." Jack said, "a little fun before won't kill us. And you need to relax, this bitch knows what he signed up for." He reached over to palm at Gavin's dick. 

_ Finally his facade broke, just a little, as the other guy scooted in and a palm was over him. "I didn't sign up for this- the rules didn't say-" _

_ The side guy was the one that cut him off, hand sliding under his shirt and Gavin tried to get up then. "Don't you know the rules don't apply to the boss? Sure are mouthy aren't you." It was dark, and when Gavin looked over he saw the knife on the guy's hip.  _

_ The other guy just groaned, and pulled his hat down. "Whatever- have your fun and wake me up when you two are done." 'Fuck the op!' "Hey, let go- I'm serious-" His voice lost the sugar quality, and Gavin glared at the guy who's face was entirely too close. _

Connor stood and walked out of the room quickly, ignoring the hard. He heard enough of what was going on. He didn't care about their mission, he just knew he had to protect Gavin. 

He walked in and quickly scanned the room, going through the options. One of the men had a small gun, while the other had a knife. The man in the middle was an android and a powerful one too. He could take the knife, or the gun. 

"What the fuck?" Jack said. "Fuck! You're that deviant Hunter!" 

Connor took a millisecond to decide on his course of action. He had to keep Gavin safe, while hopefully not killing anyone. 

He decided to go for the knife. He lunged forward and grabbed it, stabbing the man in the arm. Red blood oozed out. The man grabbed his arm and tried to kick out, which Connor jumped over. 

He turned and moved towards the man with the gun. He elbowed the man and easily disarmed him, punching him in the face. He used the butt of the knife to strike him on his head, making him crumple to the ground. 

Jake stood and went towards Connor, punching him in the face. Connor dodged the next strike and used the knife to slice at his stomach, making sure not to go too deep. Jake fell back against the seat, holding his stomach. 

He heard a bang and turned, looking at Gavin who seemed unharmed. It took him a second to process that he had been shot. He was shot. Right in the stomach. He gripped the knife and threw it at the guard, hitting him in the head. 

He still had to make sure Jake didn't get away, so he turned back and punched him in the face. Blue blood streamed down both of their faces.

_ Everything happened fast- a blur. He turned to Connor, and quickly got out of the way when he seen the red of the LED. All the stories of Connor absolutely snapping didn't compare to the efficiency he had, and if he wasn't being groped he would've been turned on.  _

_ That being said, Jack had a grip on him, so he brought his elbow down on the hand holding him and moved to the side, and the guy got up. All in all, there was carnage within such a short time. Then the bang, and Gavin's stomach dropped. He was up as soon as his head processed it wasn't him that got shot, and he was over to Connor. "Fuck- Con- you're shot- phck-" His breathing was irregular, despite it- the gun going off set off the rest of the club, and he could hear the scrambling of feet. _

_ Ducking down for the guy's discarded gun, he pulled Connor to sit, pulling off the one guy's jacket to press to Connor's wound, trying to stem the flow of thirium. "Call for medical- I can't do anything without tools." His head was a screaming mess of 'he's shot' and 'danger', and he kept an eye on the door, a hand on the gun, and the other pressed to Connor's stomach. _

Connor blinked slowly and did a scan of himself before sending for backup and medical. It wasn't too bad, thankfully, but he was losing a lot of thirium. He would completely run out with thirty minutes. He was lucky that nothing major was hit. He lifted a hand and placed it on Gavin's cheek. "It's ok, nothing was damaged that can't be repaired." 

When he saw Michael slowly walk closer he put his hand out, making sure Gavin didn't shoot him. "He's safe. Michael, please try to calm everyone down. More police are own their way." Micheal nodded before going into the main room. Connor could hear everything, and it was all too much. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to block it out. 

_ "It's ok my ass I'm getting super soaked in thirium and not the fun way!" He kept the panic out of his voice, just barely, hand behind Connor's head and playing with his hair. Seeing him squeeze his eyes shut, he remembered the other saying he was more sensitive. He got Connor's hand off his cheek, placing it over the jacket to stop the leak. _

_ Then his hands moved and he cupped Connor's ears, trying to stifle the sensations he felt. Lips gently pressed his forehead, and he kept mouthing 'we'll be fine' into his skin, offering something for him to focus on instead, something to ground him. All his emotions were being smothered under his need to protect Connor, and that was just him.  _

_ When someone finally peaked in that wasn't Michael, Gavin looked to the gun again before seeing it was Chris. "Over here!" The man called and Gavin finally let go. "Holy shit- Yeah Connor's in here! We need medical over here!" Gavin moved out of the way for EMTs, unsure of how much time passed. Chris said nothing to his attire- red and blood on him due to proximity to it all. 'You have to stay here, Connor will be fine, there are more people.' It hurt him, it hurt so much and he didn't want to be alone but he knew Connor would understand. They saved people, first and foremost. _

Connor was incredibly grateful that Gavin blocked out the noise. He kept track of the time and his thirium levels. When the EMTs came, one was an android so he slid his skin back where he was hit. He felt different this time, harder to pull it back. The android frowned but got to work. Connor sat still and tried not to move until they moved Connor onto a stretcher. 

The EMT walked up to Gavin, "He should be fine. He'll have to get a few repairs and it might leave a mark, but he'll live." 

Connor wanted to stay near Gavin, but knew that he had to work. "Can you go into stasis? It will make everything easier if you do." One of the EMTs said. Connor nodded and went in, letting his mind go blank.

_ Gavin looked between the two, then lowered his voice, looking to the bench. "There are I think- five... people..." He spoke slowly, then watched as Connor went into stasis. His body jolted, wanting to walk over, fuck this all- but he held back. Chris eventually came in, and Gavin ignored the looks the other gave his outfit. _

_ Instead, he pushed the one guy off the bench towards Chris. "All three need cuffed and checked out." Chris nodded, and soon Gavin was able to get the bench up, revealing the underneath. "Someone over here with me!" He needed an EMT to take the bins. "I need an android EMT stat-" _

The android waved his team on, to carry Connor out and called in more. 

"Alright, do you know how badly damaged the androids are?" He asked. Other androids, some with now LED came forward with the supplies. 

The cops cuffed the three men and patted them down checking for extra weapons. Once they were, they were seen to by EMTs, making sure they wouldn't bleed to death. 

_ Gavin looked to them, then spoke lowly. "If you're squeamish, back out now. One of you stay at the top, I'm passing bins up." He pushed all his emotions down to focus on what he was doing. He was going to crash like a tidal wave later, but right now, he had control. _

_ He went down into the crawl space and aimed for the back first. This one was missing an arm, and part of his face, yet yellow LED blinked at him. He didn't know if he could see or not, or hear. "Hey, I'm a detective, we're getting you guys out of here. Hold on just a lil while longer alright?" He gently pulled him out and then held him up to the EMTs. _

The android frowned sadly but took him and did as much as he could before he was taken away on a stretcher. He knew some of them wouldn't make it, but it was their job to make sure they at least had a chance. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Normal  
> Lupo: Italicized  
> Text message: Underlined

Connor sat up slowly, and Hank poked his head in. "How are you doing?"

"As well as I was an hour ago, thank you though," Connor said. He lifted his shirt and saw the small scar, e couldn't cover it with the skin so he now has a permanent hole in his skin. He didn't mind too much though. 

He was told to rest for a few days before going back to work even though he was fully repaired. He knew Gavin was finally coming over and he wanted to start making food. 

He swung his legs over the bed and stood. Hank gave him a look but let him leave his bedroom and into the kitchen. 

"Don't push yourself. I know we got you all fixed up, but still." Hank said, standing close by. It was nice, but also annoying to have someone hovering all the time. He couldn't wait until Hank let him go back to work. 

He focused on cooking though, going through the motions without much thought. He looked at the clock and grinned, Gavin would be here soon.

_ Gavin didn't leave the scene til the crawlspace was empty, and even then he stayed to count how many made it. Out of five, two made it, and Gavin felt all of the pain again. However he got changed back into his attire before the dance outfit, thankfully no one making any comments to it, and got sent home after he was cleared. _

_ Gavin couldn't spend time in his own house, not alone. He was glad Hank was letting him visit Connor, and despite the small crack he had in the shower, he kept pushing it off. After making a stop at the store to grab a wine for the night, and then another stop to find something thirium based for Connor, he finally got to Hank's. He dressed up in a nice black button up, holding his jacket over his shoulder and hand in the grey jeans that weren't too tight and flared at the bottom. The bag hung on his arm, He hoped it was decent- silently grateful Chris was the responding officer, not Hank. He knocked on the door, standing back after a moment. _

Connor smiled, and started to move towards the door but Hank beat him to it. So instead he set the table, making sure everything was in place. 

Hank opened the door slowly and looked a Gavin. He stayed silent for just a second long enough for it to be awkward. "Alright, get in, Connor is about done cooking." 

Connor finished setting the table, everything perfectly in order. He looked down at himself. He was wearing a light blue button down, and black pants. Hank was wearing slightly nicer clothes than normal, but they were still comfortable. 

"Gavin! I'm glad you're here!" Connor said, walking over and placing a kiss on his cheek. Hank made a gagging noise which Connor just rolled his eyes at.

_ The lack of hostility even in the face of awkwardness was probably a dead giveaway that Gavin's head wasn't entirely there. His response was instead to shift the bag- a weak 'I brought wine' leaving him in an attempt to be friendly.  _

_ Left in finally, Gavin took his shoes off by habit, setting them beside the door and then following Hank to the table. At the other's voice he melted a bit, pulling the other into a one armed hug. "Wouldn't miss it for the world." His voice was soft, and he did manage to snicker at the gagging noise. He finally moved, bringing out the wine and then- _

_ Thirium hard candies, like hard tac. "I wasn't able to find much, it was between this and some kind of powder candy. I tried finding some kind of drink but- not yet not yet." He shrugged to that, looking to the box. _

Connor smiled and leaned into Gavin, "it's great, thank you." 

"I'll pour the wine," Hank said, grabbing the corkscrew. Connor gave him a look, and Hank put his hands up in. "I'm only gonna have one glass, you can try it, and Gavin can have the rest. I'm not gonna chug the bottle." 

Connor hummed for a second before nodding. Connor pulled back just slightly to pull out a chair for Gavin. 

"So you're the bottom then, no surprise there," Hank said to Gavin, before pulling a face. He most definitely did not want to think about that. Especially not after catching them in the car. 

_ He leaned back into him, glad for the contact. At the offer to give Gavin the rest, he knew what alcohol would do- and was quick to laugh it off. "Hah no- I'm enough of an issue sober- I'll just have half glass and you can save the rest for when you manage to bring a date home." He said, aiming for teasing the other at least a little bit. _

_ He took the seat, thanking Connor under his breath, then bunching up a bit. At least these two were distracting, even if it was through embarrassment, Gavin hiding his eyes. "I would honestly love to not have this kinda talk." He knew he didn't say that right, far too defensive, but he hoped Connor would realize it wasn't his fault. 'No, you can't put your emotional problems on him that's rude.' "Especially not after this morning." 'Better.' _

Hank snorted and Connor smacked his head slightly. "Connor!" Hank grumped. Connor shrugged and sat down. 

"You're the one that said it, not me. Anyway, hopefully you like it." Connor said. The food was already played, though there was extra food in the middle if they wanted more. Connor's was far smaller, but he couldn't eat it without problems so he only would get to eat a very small amount just for the taste. 

He could eat the hard candies though and was incredibly glad. They were different flavors too! 

Hank smiled at the dish and ruffled Connor's hair. "You did great." He said before taking a bite. And he was correct, it was cooked perfectly.

_ It all looked amazing, and Gavin ignored the way everything in him was so tense at the softness of this all. A mantra of 'push it aside' filled his head and he took a breath while the two teased each other. "Connor you could make anything and I'd still like it." He said, absolutely meaning it. Well ok- maybe not certain things, but he refused to think of anything right now. _

_ Looking to the two, he couldn't help the small smile at Hank's dad-mode showing itself. Taking his napkin, he almost went to put it on his lap- as if this was a dinner he was attending with Elijah, but stopped last minute. He was going to back hand Elijah for the way he was basically trained to handle dinners. He cut into his food and took a bite, nearly melting at the food, and then wiped his mouth, 'Elijah you bitch', before speaking. "Hank you are officially the luckiest guy at the precinct- this is really good, tesoro." _

_ For a moment Gavin blinked, then he actually did go red, the nickname slipping out in a moment of pure affection and adoration. It was years since he spoke Italian for more than an OP. He seriously hoped Hank didn't understand what he just called Connor- he would never hear the end of 'you sap' from him. _

"Try living with him, he doesn't sleep, doesn't need to eat, and he forces me to eat 'healthy'" Hank said, but sent a smile to Connor.

Connor's face filled with warmth as he grinned at the table. "It is good for you." He said to Hank before looking over at Gavin.

"Grazie cuore mio." Connor said. He wanted to pull Gavin close to him, but decided against it. He was incredibly glad that both of them enjoyed the meal. He ate a hard candy and made a hmm of approval. The candy was incredibly good, and he would have to buy more. 

_ "Pfft- Hank you have to understand- that's normal for me. I mean- besides the 'not' eating part but hey, they are working on more thirium based foods." He offered, before making a show of looking around, and then grinning. _

_ "He could try to get you to work out." He reminded him, and then melted at the returned Italian, grateful to hide his smile behind food. Gavin noticed the hum at the candy, and was relieved the other liked it. He made a mental note to offer to head to the store he found it at. _

_ Gavin was the first one finished, and wiped his mouth before taking a sip, noticeably holding the glass properly, as if used to wine glasses. _

"No, please don't give him any ideas. He's already been trying to get me to have new hobbies. We now have a garden, a guitar, knitting needles, paint, and a ton of other junk. I will admit, having fresh food is nice." Hank said with a shrug. 

Connor shrugged and reached down to pet Sumo who had decided to lay down beside him. 

"Gavin… have you been to many formal dinners?" Connor asks. He had noticed how Gavin moved while eating and it was a bit different than normal. He himself knew how to hold things the proper way and which utensils to use, but he could just download that information, Gavin's seemed learned and more out of habit. 

_ Perking up at hearing the guitar, he nearly sparkled. "Do you actually know how to play the guitar? And is it a bass or normal? I'd ask acoustic but I've heard the stuff you listen to, nothing acoustic about it." _

_ Gavin himself had his bass in the spare bedroom, but the thought got pushed down before it could settle. Instead he focused on Connor's question, looking to his whine glass before smiling sheepishly. "Yeah, E would drag me to all of his fancy dinners and parties while we were young- mostly to go 'look my little brother is becoming an officer' but also I think he just felt safer with me around. We'd start setting the table at the house a lot just to practice." It wasn't hard to admit or think of those times. _

"It's an electric one, but not a bass. I could learn how to play that too." Connor said. Connor kept all of the stuff because he found that he quite enjoyed many of the things. Neither one was too big on painting so he had given his supplies to Markus. 

"Ah, I do recall you having a brother. Does he live in Detroit?" Connor asks. He was almost completely certain that Kamski was his brother. He didn't know why they had different last names, though one of them may have changed theirs. 

"Oh shit, yeah, you do have an older brother." Hank said, finishing his meal. 

_ It wasn't a conversation he expected, but- he was dating Connor. 'He's going to find out eventually.' "Ah- I play bass. And yeah he still lives in Detroit, though he doesn't stop by my place pfft. If I wanna visit I have to go to his house or meet him somewhere." Gavin looked to all the plates then to Connor. _

_ "Yeah I try not to talk about him too much- we were fighting for a long while." _

"I'm sorry about that." Connor said and stood, taking the empty plates to the sink. 

"Yeah, not getting along with family is shitty, and Connor I swear if you clean all the dishes I'll… take away your knitting stuff." Hank said. 

Connor sighed and turned the water off, walking back over. He didn't understand why Hank wouldn't let him clean up, after all he was the one that made the food. 

_ "It's alright- we get along now that's he's removed the giant stick he had rammed up him." _

_ Hank reprimanding Connor got Gavin to grin, and he got up, finger-gunning Hank. "Can't stop me though Hank!" He called out, hand on the Connor's shoulder and squeezing for a moment before he went to the sink. "So how long 'til you're allowed to work again Con?" _

_ He easily set to doing the dishes, glad to have something to keep him busy. He knew he hadn't even finished his half cup, but it was fine. _

Connor squirmed, wanting to help, but he wasn't sure if Hank would actually take his knitting needles. He found out that knitting was calming and he got to make people stuff. Hank already had one too many knitted blankets from him. 

"Whenever Hank says I can. Apparently I needed to rest even though I'm fully functional." Connor said, sending a half hearted glare at Hank. 

"Never said it was physical. It's always good to have a small break for your mental health. That OP had to be hard on you." Hank said. 

"It wasn't too bad. They did arrest the people who were selling the Red Ice and biocomponents. Plus…" he trailed off, looking at Gavin. Plus, he finally got to be with Gavin, and spend time with him. "I still need to do some paperwork for it and go over all the evidence again to make sure I didn't miss anything."

_ There was a soft splash and Gavin would've cried if he heard some kinda clink in the sink. He lost his grip on the one fork and hoped it wasn't as loud as he thought it was. But he kept going, breathing evening quickly. 'Connor doesn't know-' _

_ He completely forgot that neither of them probably knew the full extent, due to everything escalating last second. He never sent more in the text, and right now he was somewhat glad for that. "Well I will be heading in tomorrow. Gotta check up on some things and do my paperwork- I will have to go over the evidence again myself." He hated how flat his voice went, and instead searched for anything to change the topic. _

_ "But Hank is right, it'll be good for you to get a break Con. After I get off tomorrow, I could drop by again and bring something for the three of us to do?"  _

Connor frowned and looked over at Gavin. He did notice how his voice changed. He stood up and walked over, placing a gentle hand on the small of Gavin's back. 

"Are you ok? I… I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable during the OP." He spoke quietly, and pulled his hand back. Of course, Gavin was probably going to try to let him down gently. It's not too surprising, he may have went too far a few times. Or he was too rough, though he thought Gavin liked it. 

A thought stuck him that made him pull back even farther… did he… Gavin definitely seemed to like all of it, but what if he didn't want it. Did Connor take advantage of him? Did he only say yes because he was scared of Connor? The thought made him want to go into his room and never come out. His LED circled red.

_ There was a slight jump, but Gavin leaned into the other, grateful for the contact. However at the question, he knew how his chest twisted. "No no, Connor you were fine- I'm- I'm really fucking happy you were paired with me. I don't think anyone else would've realized that-" _

_ He stopped, whole body and all. If Connor wasn't there, if it was just some random officer, they probably would've waited til Gavin made a move. That knife would've been in Gavin's stomach or he would've let everything continue for the sake of the OP. As Connor pulled back he looked over, noticing the red LED. "Con?" _

_ Seeing his LED red was more terrifying than those thoughts combined, and self-doubt was a tidal wave that threatened to drown him for a moment. Gavin put the dish away then focused solely on him. He did let one question slip out, full of uncertainty. "Is it all too fast for you?" _

It took Connor a second to realize Gavin talked. "What? No! No, I was… I just thought… it, I don't know how to say this. But, it was consensual, between us right? You, you didn't, uh, sleep with me because you were scared of me?" Connor asked. He had tried to not use all of his strength, but maybe he still used too much.

Hank stood slowly and left the room, heading towards his bedroom. He wanted to support Connor but this was definitely a private conversation. 

_ Gavin was suddenly very glad he didn't have water in his hands, cause injured or not, he would've splashed Connor. "Connor- of phckin' course it was! If I was ever scared of you, I wouldn't have practically begged you to come home- I wouldn't have tried my damnedest to tease you that second day. I- phck- I thought maybe I was gonna scare you off cause I'm this clingy- mess- after it all but Connor, everything I did, I wanted to do. I'd like to do again, as soon as your cleared for it." He dried his hands on his pants, turning and hugging the other. _

_ "I'm sorry if I ever made you think otherwise Con really- I know I've been off tonight but holy phck, that's far, far from the reason why." He held a little tighter, hoping the other would hug him back. _

"Oh." Connor mumbled before hugging back tightly. He knew why he jumped to that conclusion. He was incredibly strong, and skilled at fighting. He could take down most people with ease. He could shoot someone from a farther distance than any human sniper. He was… terrifying. He was always worried about using too much strength. Gardening and knitting helped, but there was always the fear that he would hurt someone he loves. 

"You didn't do anything… it's just, well, me." He mumbled into the other's shoulder. "I like how you are, you don't need to change anything." 

_ "Well I like how you are Connor. I like 'well me' a lot, and I have for a while, even if I was too afraid of you being mad yet to show it. You have helped so many people and- you're honestly way too good for me." _

_ Gavin moved his head, kissing the side of Connor's head. "I know how self doubt is, trust me, but if I ever feel uncomfortable with something Connor, I will let you know. As it is- you've never scared me this whole time. Everything you do is for the sake of others, and that's- phckin' amazing." Three words settled hard on his tongue, but 'too soon' screamed at him. "I love that about you." He chose instead, sighing at his own insecurities.  _

Connor sighed happily, his LED turning back to blue. He pulled Gavin in just slightly tighter. Gavin wasn't scared of him… he trusts him. 

"Thank you, but I am most definitely not too good for you. You have very amazing qualities that I… love. I am incredibly lucky." He pulls back to press a soft kiss onto Gavin's lips. He would still worry about his strength, but he would remember that Gavin trusts him. 

_ There was a moment Gavin leaned into the kiss, but he was definitely aware of this being someone else's house. "As much as I'd love to stand here and kiss you all night, I-" Gavin inhaled, then looked away. "I know I've been off tonight, and I promise." He looked to Connor, smiling softly. "It's not cause of you. Phck you two have been helping me keep it together if anything, so really, let's go find Hank. Then maybe we can all watch a movie or something. A shitty horror movie and pick fun at it."  _

_ He wanted a good night, so damn bad. Just enough to hold off the breakdown until he could be safe for it at least. He'd love to have Connor there, but this wasn't something he'd easily shrug off onto his shoulders, especially when he took a bullet for him. _

Connor nodded, and place a quick kiss onto Gavin's cheek before pulling back. He moved down the hall to Hank's room and knocked on the door, which opened quickly. 

"Do I need to kill someone?" Hank asked.

"No need, everything is fine now. We were hoping you'd watch a movie with you." Connor said, moving back to let Hank move out. 

"As long as it's not some shitty old movie I'm down. I'll make some popcorn." Hank said and moves into the kitchen. "You want any Reed?" Hank asked before getting two packets of popcorn and sticking one in the microwave.

_ Gavin finished cleaning, and then moved to the living room. He noticed a throw pillow, and biting his cheek, grabbed one, holding onto it. He'd do this with his cats, it was a balm to his nerves to cling/hold. "Hah- phck yeah! Thanks. I was thinking one of those horror movies from like the 2k, the ones you can just rip apart from how bad they were. Or maybe the Scary Movie series outright."  _

_ Looking for the remote, Gavin got the tv to Netflix, logging in his info and waiting for the other's before hitting enter, so they could all pick together. _

Connor grabbed a bowl for the popcorn and gave it to Hank before sitting down beside Gavin. It was adorable how he was already holding onto a pillow… though he kind of wanted to be the pillow. So he put his arm around Gavin, and got comfortable, absentmindedly spinning the spinner Gavin had given him. 

Hank finally sat down and handed a bowl over to Connor, he placed it between him and Gavin. He could probably eat a few, but he mostly held it just so Gavin wouldn't have to if he didn't want to. 

"I'm down for that." Hank said, eating a few bites.

"I am too, down for that." 

_ "Oh phck- I forgot I now actually have to hear you talk casually- wasn't ready for that." He teased Hank, and leaned into Connor, adoring the contact. He logged in the info, knowing Scary Movie 3 would be on the front page. _

_ Momentarily he forgot about the ads for the newest movie Netflix had added, and he knew later, he'd realize he was a dumbass for forgetting. As he scrolled, he brushed off the horror movie music, but then it clicked far too late. _

_ It was a movie made before the revolution, a huge hit with horror movie fans, because it was gorey and scary. Now, Gavin found it was in poor taste. But right now, the torso that flashed onto the screen, the head tilting forward slightly, Connor probably didn't have to scan him to feel how cold his blood was. He got up, remote discarded to the couch and rushed the front door. _

_ 'Out out out-' He felt like he was hyper ventilating, and he hated the panic clawing at his chest, opening the door and carefully closing it before folding on the steps. Wrapping his arms around his knees he started to shake, seeing the bodies in crawlspace.  _

Connor looked to Hank who shrugged. Sure the add was pretty gruesome, but they've seen it before. Maybe he had seen a similar model before. He knew that the androids weren't treated well before, so maybe it was that. He shook himself and stood. He wasn't sure if Gavin wanted to be alone or not, but he could at least ask. 

He opened the door and stepped out, closing it behind him. Be sat on the step next to Gavin and scanned him, determining that he was having some short or panic attack, possibly a flashback. 

"Gavin? It's ok, it's me, Connor." He said. He didn't touch him, just in case. He kept his voice calm and as soothing as possible. The cold wind blew his hair into his face, which he quickly pushed away.

_ Gavin shook his head, hearing the other's voice but it was so muted. He tried to hold it back, but his head was now vicious, telling him he ruined their night. This was about making Connor feel better, not about what he saw. Even if one night melted into another. 'You're a fucking detective! Get a hold of yourself!' _

_ "Con-" His voice was a bit broken, and he shook his head again. "Mm' sorry. Sorry-" It was cold and for a moment he made sure he still had his shirt and it wasn't soaked with blood. "I tried to save them." He wanted to whimper, to fall over, to drink and forget- he remembered drinking for a week straight after the revolution, coming in with a hangover each day that was brushed off as extra pissy.  _

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm not exactly sure who you are referring to, but I'm sure you did everything you could to save them." He wanted to hold him, but didn't want to make matters worse. He knew he himself didn't always wanted to be touched. 

"Can I touch you?" He had programming for these type of things, but he wanted to take care of Gavin himself. He would still use it, but he wanted to have emotions in it, not just logic. 

_ "I do- they were- under us." He quickly nodded to the question, hoping the other would see it. Still his head swam as he got out a small 'yes', holding tighter to his knees. "If I had just- why didn't I try to clean earlier. Why couldn't I have had more time." A soft repeat of 'why' left him, and it seemed he wound tighter as he spoke. _

Connor frowned but wrapped his arms around Gavin, "it's alright. You did everything you could." He spoke softly. 

The way Gavin had reacted to the ad gave him a few ideas. He knew how some people still treated androids, though it was much worse before the revolution. Gavin had mentioned that something was off, so it was probably something that happened recently. Which meant the Op. 

He didn't know everything that went on with the case as he had to be repaired. Hank also hadn't told him anything, and neither did Gavin. He assumed that it had to deal with the biocomponents. They weren't stealing from Cyberlife. He felt like his stomach dropped. 

He pushed it down though, needing to focus on Gavin.

_ Gavin leaned into the touch and broke, face turning ugly as his breath hitched. "Phck- phck I'm so sorry Con. I'm so sorry- I didn't- didn't want to worry you. Didn't want to worry you or ruin this- this was so good and I phcked it up I'm sorry." His hands let go of his knees and instead clutched onto Connor. _

_ "You were hurt and I wanted to leave with you, not stay there- not see them- I'm sorry." He felt like shit, and he was spiraling pretty fast. He knew, in the back of his mind, once he ran out of energy he'd be clear-minded again, but that voice was dying under the other waves.  _

Connor kissed Gavin's hair, and rocked him just slightly. He made sure to move his chest in a slow steady breathing pace. 

"You didn't ruin everything. You're safe here. Nothing is ruined. I'm glad you stayed with them. There was no chance of me dying so it was best for everyone for you to have stayed. But you are here now, and that's what matters. You have nothing to be sorry for." His voice came out softer than normal. He would stay out here all night if that's what Gavin needed. 

He wasn't sure yet if androids could get anything like PTSD, but he assumed they could. He would never wish this on anyone. Even if it was just an anxiety attack, it could morph into a flashback. 

_ The motions did seem to help, Gavin trying his best to focus on what Connor was saying and not the blue blood in front of him. He fell silent, knowing he was crying at this point but unable to truly care. It lasted a while, but eventually his shivering was more from actually being cold than emotions. _

_ He hated this kind of numbness, but it was better than being a mess. His grip around Connor slowly loosened, and when he found his voice again, he didn't stop the soft 'thank you' that came out. "Phcking... I- I should've said something sooner. Here I let you worry it was you and it turns out I'm just... Really tired of seeing blood." He mumbled softly, finally becoming relaxed and extremely tired. 'Still have to get home.'  _

Connor hummed, but only loosened his hold slightly. "It's fine, I completely understand. Maybe you should take a vacation. Go to Lake Huron or Erie." He knew what the other option was, but didn't want to suggest it. 

Part of it was incredibly selfish, while the other part was… well he wasn't sure what it was. If Gavin left the force for good, what would he do instead? Finding a job was already hard. The main jobs he could think of either didn't fit Gavin or still had the same amount of danger and casualties. 

Connor would support him though, no matter what he decides to choose. It wasn't unusual to leave the force early, so that was definitely a possibility. Most leave because they either die, which Connor wouldn't be able to stand, get too injured, or it gets too much. A few leave from old age. 

He paused for just a second. He couldn't grow old. Sure, his parts would get old, but he could just replace them. If Connor didn't die from this job… then he'd almost certainly be alive when Gavin did, whether it be from the job or not. 

_ "Hnn- and leave you phcks to deal with the mess that's Detroit alone? No- no thanks. I just- I normally..." He took a breath, and eventually moved, settling his head more towards the other's thirium pump. It was a calming whirr. "Normally handle this like I normally do- alone, with cat therapy and if it's as bad as the revolution- a lot, lot, lot of vodka. I haven't really-" _

_ Grieved. He lost friends the night of the revolution. A lot he never talked about with anyone. He knew what he should do, the option was there for any of the officers, but to ask Fowler to see the office shrink- and admit to everything- it was a lot of shit he didn't want to drudge up with a strong drink. This close to Connor, he could feel the pause. But didn't know what was in his head, so instead he turned, kissing the cloth over his pump. "Today just- reminded me of the revolution, and I should've said something before I came over instead of just- trying to hold it down." _

_ His voice was raw and fragile, he hated admitting weakness. But he knew Connor could sense the minute he was lying or hiding something, and he didn't want to start this relationship like his last one, just hiding everything that hurt til it broke them both.  _

"As I said, I completely understand. The revolution was hard for everyone… I had to fight myself which was really weird." Connor chuckled.

He always wondered if that version of him had been prepared or if he was permanently dead. Sure he had tried to kill him, wait, would that be considered homicide or suicide? That didn't matter, he was almost certain that his duplicate wasn't a deviant, so he didn't hold it against him. 

"And… I almost shot Markus. Even people who weren't in Detroit were still affected. It affected the whole world." And it did. Androids around the world were either set free or destroyed. Most places still didn't know what to do with them. Some even put them in cages like animals.

  
  


_ "I guess neither of us really get to talk about that night..." He moved to sit more comfortably. "I turned my apartment into an android ER." He knew he said that probably was way too conversational in it's announcement, especially since he knew their interaction that night.  _

_ "Phck, this was- not how I hoped tonight was going." He laughed weakly, a yawn overtaking him and he looked up to Connor. "Again I am- so sorry Con, to just break on you two. Tonight was phcking amazing, and I never thought I'd honestly look forward to having to deal with Hank more often, but ah- I hope I didn't phck this up." _

Connor smiled softly at him. He had to admit, Gavin sleepy was incredibly cute. "You didn't. If you'd like, you can stay here, or I can drive you back. Your reaction time is slow enough that I don't think it would be wise to drive." Connor said. The last thing he needed was for Gavin to get into a car accident. 

"If you'd like to, we can talk about that night another time." He did want to talk about it, very much, but now was definitely not the right time to do so. 

_ "If Hank's cool with it, I'd rather-" He swallowed, looking away with a red face. "Rather not be just my cats tonight. If it's fine with him though seriously, I don't want to annoy the old man." He hugged into Connor, and laughed softly. "Honestly, might help us both to talk about it- you too. That night couldn't have been easy for you." _

_ He shivered a bit and realized it was still very fucking cold outside. "Phck how'd I get so lucky to get your attention." He mumbled, voice tired and warm. "Phck Netflix though. I'm writing a complaint the length of an armed robbery report and sending it for a week straight." _

Connor chuckled and moved slightly, putting one arm under Gavin's legs and standing up, carrying him bridal style. 

"Would you like to still watch a movie or head straight to bed?" Connor asked. He somehow manages to open the door without letting go of Gavin. 

Hank is still sitting on the couch, all of his popcorn gone, and most of Gavin's is too. Connor rolls his eyes and Hank looks only slightly guilty. 

_ There was a yelp as Gavin was suddenly carried bridal style- 'across the threshold does he even-' and he couldn't stop the giddy laugh, weak and tired but full of the sudden warmth. His arms wrapped around Connor's neck, and he hid his in the other's chest. _

_ "Up- Up to you oh phck haha!" He couldn't even be phased by Hank eating all the popcorn or seeing him absolutely lost in giggles at this point. _

Connor isn't sure why Gavin is laughing until Hank gives him a look. He can't help but let out a surprised squeak. He doesn't out Gavin down though. Instead he walks to the couch and sits down, putting Gavin on his lap. 

Hank throws a piece of popcorn at him which he catches and eats. Hank rolls his eyes and throws the controller this time. It wasn't unusual for Hank to throw things at him, if he was paying attention he always caught it. 

He caught the remote and clicked search, easily finding the perfect movie. It was one of the first ones Hank sat him down to watch, and had quickly become a favorite. 

"I, uh, right. Hope you like The Lion King." Connor mumbled, his face turning blue. He loved how Gavin had giggled though, so he wasn't ready to self-combust just yet.

_ Watching the two joke around doesn't help the giggles, and he doesn't even flinch at the controller being thrown. Even if it hit him, he didn't think he'd react beyond a 'hey'. "Lion King phck yeah. Disney when it was still good." Gavin didn't mind sitting in the other's lap. He adjusts himself so his head is against the other's shoulder.  _

_ Then he reaches for the other's hand, pouting until he gets his hand and wraps it around him. He was tired and cuddly, Hank be damned. "As long as it's not like- Bambi. Or their princess movies- sorry but the OG version of half their fairytales are better." There was a whole spiel sitting there about his hatred for Cinderella, but another day.  _

Connor nodded and hit play, making sure his hold on Gavin was secure just in case Gavin fell asleep and moved around. "You're adorable." Connor mumbles as he watches the beginning. 

He must admit, the creatures knew how to use color very well. It definitely made the move have more feeling than it already did. He also found the song 'Just Can't Wait to be King' quite funny in an ironic way. 

_ "Not as much as you- you're the..." There was a deep yawn, and Gavin forgot what he was saying as the movie started. Which was very good, because Hank didn't need to suffer.  _

_ "Hank is Zuzu." Came out of him randomly, and it was obvious he was minutes from falling asleep. His last working brain cells had manners though. "Hank- good with me- crashing- jus' one nigh'?" _

Hank snicker but nodded his head. "Yeah, he's good with it." He smiled as he mostly watched Gavin fall asleep. At the end of the movie he was the only one awake. 

He stood and made sure Gavin wouldn't wake up as he took him to his bedroom and laid him down. He went back and woke Hank up to get him back to his bed. Hank mumbled something but walked to his bedroom. 

Connor smiled and turned everything off and put the popcorn bowls in the sink and went back to his room, laying down beside Gavin.

_ A phone buzzing in his back pocket was what woke Gavin, and he could faintly hear the muffled sound of something stupid and overly peppy to wake him up. He felt like he had either a really, really good session, or he broke like a waterfall, and as his eyes opened to see Connor, he suddenly remembered which. 'Shit,' the guilt threatened to hit him, back it wasn't as bad as he thought it would've been. _

_ He actually felt... Really relieved. Connor seen every weakness now, his insecurity, his guilt- really there wasn't anything except really deep history that he had gotten past already that Connor didn't know. 'And your lack of kink limits.' Yet- he woke up in the other's bed, clinging to him- phcking hell you koala bastard. He let go, stretching and feeling the drawback of sleeping with clothes on. Everything popped and stretched, and Gavin got an idea. He was definitely up before Hank, he wondered if he could repay them both with breakfast. _

_ He looked over to Connor once more, and went to smooth his hand over the other's hair when blank eyes stared at him. "Bish what the," cursing and cutting himself off, he was thoroughly spooked, not used to waking up with somebody, especially not somebody with their eyes open. He flailed a bit, leg catching on the blanket and nearly falling off the blanket. Instead he got caught up and hang half off the bed, half in the blanket pinned down by the other body. _

Connor's mind alerted him of a loud sound and he sat up quickly, looking around the room for danger. What he found was… amusing. 

"Gavin? Why did you fall off?" Connor asked, relaxing. He was incredibly glad that it wasn't someone breaking in. He scanned Gavin and old found that he would have a few bruises, but nothing major. 

He did want to stay in bed longer, but now that he was up, he should probably clean. Hank would give him shit, but it gave him something to do instead of sitting in his room or on the couch all day. 

_ "Mcphck- you had your eyes open and they were blank and phck- wasn't ready for that." He laughed at his own predicament, reaching for Connor. So much for his idea of getting breakfast ready for the other two. "Halp." He grumbled, not trusting himself to fix this because he would absolutely just fall if this was himself. _

_ All of this still kept the warmth in him, it was amazingly- domestic. He was grinning before he even had a coffee. _

Connor snorted and pulled Gavin up, back onto the bed, easily. "Sorry… I tend to forget to close my eyes when I'm…" Connor trailed off. It was a bit embarrassing, but he'd done it before. It freaked Hank out the first time it happened. After that, it was still creepy, but not as much. 

"I do it when I don't want to… look away. Sorry." He did feel bad. He knew that an adrenaline rush this early wasn't always welcome. He hadn't even noticed he went into stasis. Though it seemed really creepy now, he was just staring at Gavin. He promised himself that he wouldn't do that anymore.

_ "That's phckin' adorable, don't be sorry." He pushed on the other's shoulder carefully, and then looked down to where he was shot, careful not to hurt him any further. "You'd be popular in school- wish I could've fallen asleep with my eyes open in class." He said, before he hugged onto the other. "You're warm again." _

_ He let himself enjoy the warmth for a couple minutes before kissing the other's cheek and actually going to pull away. "I was thinking of making Hank and you breakfast- as a thank you for everything. Also because I'm pretty sure I can't phck up an omelet with how many times I've made it..." Not to say he didn't use to fuck it up. He remembered the one time he got an omelet stuck to the fucking ceiling.  _

Connor smiled and kissed Gavin again. It felt so right to wake up with him, even though that was not how he expected it to be. 

He could definitely kiss Gavin for hours, but he pulled back just slightly. "I'm sure you make great omelettes, and Hank will definitely appreciate it." 

"And you don't need to worry about me, there isn't any lasting uncomfortableness. Unless I get an entirely new body, I'll have the scar forever." He actually kind of liked the scar, it somehow made him feel more alive. Humans were much easier to kill than androids and that did worry him. Sure androids could die from a stabbing in certain places, but unless you damage certain parts they could just get a new body.

_ He melted into the kiss, unable to resist the other honestly. "Hell yeah. And I know that- you can take the hits I just- don't go being too much of a hero." The thought of losing Connor hurt, so fucking much, but he knew it would hard to lose him. He knew they both had enough recklessness in them each to give Hank a heart attack. _

_ "Hah- I bet you rock the scar- lemme see please?" He sat back a bit, before sticking his tongue out. "I've actually never explained all mine to you huh? We have a lot of fun conversations to have phck." He had stories to tell, he was proud of most of his scars. Most. _

Connor nodded and lifted his shirt up. The skin was pulled back and the white plastic was slightly bent around what used to be a bullet whole. It was now just an indent.

He poked at it, smiling at Gavin. "See, no pain. I am excited to learn about how you got yours." Connor said. Everyone on the force had scars and stories to tell on how they got them. Most people do too, actually. He wondered if other androids had scars. Some probably did, especially the ones that were abused.

_ There was a golden opportunity, something he didn't get to do often because often he was the one broken and bruised up. Carefully scooting, his hands rested on Connor's side and he leaned down before Connor could question it. A quick gentle kiss, like the ones he left over the other's thirium pump. "Phck it's cool looking that's for sure." Another kiss. _

_ "Of course- when I get this weekend off we can go out on a date then? I got to take you to where I found that candy, we can just walk around and bullshit." He paused, two more kisses having been gently pressed there before he leaned up. "You have this weekend off or do I need to come to the precinct to pick you up?" _

Connor's stomach dropped in a very good way. With each kiss is face turned more blue. 

"I'd like that, and I'll have the weekend off. If I don't, Hank might murder Fowler." Connor chuckled. He couldn't help but lean forward and press a soft, quick, kiss to Gavin's lips. 

_ Gavin leaned back into him, stealing another kiss, before he moved to kiss the blue on the other's cheeks. "You know how proud I am every time I get you to go blue? And phck yeah." The moment was ruined by his phone buzzing against, a default tone this time. 'Didn't turn off the backup alarm.' He groaned, pulling away from the other. "I better get up and get cooking or I won't get back to the dipshit duo at home." _

_ He stood up finally and stretched, tempted to do his morning routine but very aware of Connor being right there. So he just twisted a bit, making sure to not leave himself tense. "You know I'd love to see that- Hank get on Fowler's ass for something- Hank used to fight him a lot when I was a rookie." _

Connor watched, still sitting on the bed. He didn't need to stretch, which he was not really upset about. 

"He still does. When he first learned I would be his partner… well it wasn't pretty. I don't think Fowler liked me either though. Most people didn't, which was understandable. It was reasonable to worry about their jobs." 

Before he deviated it made sense to use androids as police, or at least for the more dangerous parts. He had thought androids were expendable. Now he knew better, no one was.

He knew that he'd gladly throw himself in the way for a fellow officer. He would have done it for Gavin even before. 

He guessed that that was pretty normal for cops though. He knew Gavin would do it now, not that he'd want him to, but he wondered what would have happened before. 

_ "To be fair, Fowler doesn't like any-phcking-body when they first join. I'm pretty sure the man still doesn't like me, which, fair- valid." He pulled at his shirt then looked to Connor, smiling a bit. "Jokes on phckin' everyone huh, now there's not enough people at the precinct sometimes." He remembered the influx of crimes immediately after the revolution, although very vaguely. Still now, free will meant a lot of people didn't stick around the DPD, not wanting to be in the line of fire after all. And the skills the DPD offered were pretty good in other circumstances. _

_ "Do you need anything? Hank will probably appreciate if we weren't so sappy in front of his omelette." He almost said salad, almost, before realizing the joke was going to go over Connor's head.  _

"I'm good, I'll make my bed then do some cleaning up. Don't tell Hank though. I am not really sure why he doesn't let me clean everything. It's not like I dislike it." Connor said, moving to stand. He was sure many of the models who were originally built to clean now hated it, but others probably still loved to do it. 

He found it calming to clean. Plus it was good for Hank's mental health to have a clean house. Hank still wouldn't let him clean anything in his room though. He got away with everything else when Hank was asleep. 

_ Gavin shifted on his feet for a second then moved to steal one more kiss, having to hold on to Connor's shoulder to reach his cheek. "Got it chief! And eh, he probably just feels like it's asking too much." He shrugged, dipping out of the room yet. He forgot for a moment Sumo existed, and yelped when he was tackled. _

_ Easily, and embarrassingly so, he was taken down by the big dog. "Oh phck h-hi there! Hi! Oh you are- messy oh phck." He pet the dog, letting it do as it pleased for now, since it seemed so damn happy and Hank was probably up after that thump anyways. _

Connor couldn't help but laugh. Sumo was huge, and could be somehow incredibly quiet. He kept laughing as he got Sumo off, who turned to lick him. 

"Sorry, he's hungry. I normally feed him in the morning and I guess he got excited." Sumo had done that to him, and after a few times he had learned how to stay on his feet. 

"I like dogs. I found most small dogs to be more annoying, though the Corgi is quite adorable." He had gone through many videos of dogs a few nights. 

Most smaller dogs were high pitched and all over the place. The bigger ones suited him much better. The moment he saw the Corgi, he thought he would die. Hank had even bought him a stuffed one that he kept. 

_ Gavin eventually got up, wiping himself off with a 'blegh'. "Dogs are alright? I like- dobermans? And shepherds. But they've always needed more attention that I could give them- not surprising to hear probably but there was a long time I only focused on the job. Everything- everything was secondary." He still was like that to a point. He didn't look forward to getting a big case, because Connor was probably going to be able to force him home. _

_ "That and anything that drools more than it drinks is a hassle, sorry Sumo. You've got a habit only a dog person could love." He brushed himself off and headed towards the kitchen, making a beeline for the sink to wash his hands off. _

Connor chuckled and shook his head. He went back into the bedroom and made his bed. Once he finished he fed Sumo, and moved around the living room. He cleaned what was dirty, then finally went to the kitchen to clean dishes. 

Hank groaned when he heard the thump. Probably Sumo. That meant either Connor or Gavin was up. Gavin, right yeah, he stayed the night. That wasn't weird at all. Nope. This is totally normal. Well, it probably would be for the foreseeable future. He groaned and finally got up. When he got to the kitchen it took him a minute to take everything in. 

Gavin was cooking. Alrighty, not that weird, and… "Connor! I told you not to do the damn dishes!"

Connor shrugged, and smiled at Hank. 

"Fucking… why the fuck…" Hank mumbled to himself.

_ The detective couldn't help the snort that escaped at hearing Connor get yelled at, and didn't resist being a little shit about it. "You got yelled at~." He chimed, and then slid an omelette onto a plate. "I hope you don't expect me to make junk food because unfortunately- I have a figure to maintain." He set the plate aside and then went to make himself a smaller omelette. _

_ "It's just veggies and cheese, I didn't want to mix it up too much." He hummed, working on his next and looking to the dog that smelled the food. He still felt a nervous flutter, not sure if he'd jump or not. _

"I like your figure." Connor went behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist. He kissed his neck just soft enough so he could feel it. 

"It's only cause you made me food that I'm allowing this." Hank mumbled. He kept eating but turned the TV on, focusing on that. It was the news, but Hank changed it to something else. 

He loved how Gavin looked, but he also would love if he was pudgy. The thought made him blush at how adorable Gavin would be. No matter what, he would like how Gavin looks. 

_ A shiver went through Gavin at that, leaning into Connor. "Mhm, bet you do." Hank was so lucky the 'in front of my salad' meme was in his head right now, elsewise, Gavin would've absolutely teased Connor right now. As it stood, he finished his omlette, putting more peppers and less cheese in his. _

_ "I'm going to eat real quick, then I need to get going. Anderson, do you have to head into work today?" Gavin chose his words carefully, not knowing if Hank knew he was still going in or not. It seemed the old man was oblivious to what happened so he could get away with going into work. _

Hank looked up and nodded, "I am. Connor… fine, I guess you can come in. You can't do any serious work though, also no training. Maybe just, I don't know, look at old cases. If it gets too much, tell me." Hank said. 

"Are you sure? You could take the day off." Connor mumbled to Gavin before smiling at Hank. He went over and grabbed Hank's empty plate, sticking his tongue out at him before going back to the sink to wash it. 

_ There was a mix of up and down in his stomach as Connor was allowed in. On one hand, Connor would be right there, and Gavin wouldn't be as worried. On the other, Connor would be right there, to review the files himself. It had his heart racing, but he pushed the feeling back. 'He already knows.'  _

_ "Hah, and let everyone miss me? I don't think so. They'd need to put me in a cast before I took a day off." Gavin ate quickly, not wanting to be between the two for much longer. His lack of morning filter really bit him in the ass. "If it helps, I can keep him distracted from doing any training." _

_ He meant distracted with paperwork from their case and getting witness statements. It took a couple seconds for him to realize it didn't sound like that. _

Connor snorted and Hank made a gagging sound. "I'd gladly be distracted." Connor mumbled, kissing Gavin's cheek. 

"You two are going to be the death of me." Hank said, standing and stretching. "Are you two driving in together?" 

Connor shrugged and looked to Gavin. 

_ He was glad he was still facing away so the bright red he turned was only for Connor's eyes. "If he wants to come in with me I'm not against it. You might be five minutes late though Connor." And after yesterday being late, and caught, he didn't want to get Connor in trouble. _

_ At the 'death of me' comment, Gavin snickered, muttering 'ok old man' under his breath. Really, Gavin was almost jealous of Connor for getting dad mode back into the old man. _

Connor heard Gavin's ok, and turned to Hank, "ok Boomer." Hank's jaw dropped as he stares at Connor. 

"What the fuck. Now you're definitely driving in with him. I'll see you guys later." Hank grabbed his coak and walked out, shaking his head. 

"I guess I am going with you. I would suggest… not uh, doing what he did again… in the parking lot. Of course, we can do it elsewhere, but parking lots aren't the best of places to do it." Connor said, stumbling over his words. 

_ Gavin had to cover his mouth to hide the giggles at Hank getting 'boomered' out of his own house. Sure Hank would be at the station first and would have plenty of opportunities to yeet both him and Connor off the case if he got to the details first... But he wasn't too worried. Instead, he turned to Connor, listening to him stumble over his words. _

_ "As enticing as that sounds, I need a shower. Especially after everything. You're welcome to join me in it- however, we actually have to make it to my house for that to happen." Well, there was another option. One he knew Hank would fucking hate so he wasn't about to suggest it. _

Connor nodded, and went to put his shoes on. He didn't need to be in any uniform, though it did feel odd not wearing his old Cyberlife one. Hank had gotten him a hoodie that said 'I like dogs'. He loved it and wore it around the house all the time. He decided to grab it and pull it on. 

"That sounds like a good plan." He nodded, turning to look back at Gavin. He didn't need a shower… but he definitely wasn't going to not accept the offer.

_ The hoodie was adorable on Connor and Gavin wasn't leaving that unsaid, tugging it down his hips and reading it. "Cute. Alright- let's get going before I pass out from the tooth-rotting fluff that is you." He was teasing of course, taking Connor's hand and getting his own shoes on before leading them out. He ignored the images of them last night, in the cold air, and instead focused in on his car. _

_ "You wanna drive or me?" He offered, unsure if the other liked driving or not. He knew he could tease the other if he drove, he trusted Connor not to get them into any trouble.  _

Connor thought for a second, "I would like to, if that's alright. Normally Hank drives so I don't get the chance to." He, of course, could drive, and incredibly well too. He had fast reflexes than most humans which helped. If it was an electric car he could hack into the system too, if need be. 

"You are quite adorable yourself." Connor commented, smiling at Gavin. 

_ "Of course." Gavin grinned a bit, knowing payback was about to be a bitch. Plus, he just wanted to rile him up a little. He handed the keys to the other. "It's not as old as Hank's deathtrap, so hopefully it handles better."  _

_ Of course, the compliment didn't go unheard, and just to be a showoff, he slid across the hood to get to the passenger side. "Uh huh- you won't be saying that shortly~" _

Connor tilted his head slightly, unsure of what Gavin meant. He was once again impressed with Gavin's agility. He wondered if he had ever been in gymnastics.

"I can drive any car, and I'm not sure why I will not think of you as adorable once in the car. A change of scenery will not change your adorableness." Connor said, getting into the car. 

He waited for Gavin to get in before checking the mirrors, making sure he could see. He started the car once Gavin was inside.

_ He had, gymastics and track. But he was never first place material, not that it bothered him too much back then. It was just an outlet for energy after all. He waited til the other was comfortable, before he gently placed a hand on Connor's leg, grin turning devious. "Oh- I bet a certain change of scenery will adjust that view. I'll have you know I still remember being left on the edge- twice." He purred, his hand trailing gently upwards. _

Connor was glad he hadn't moved yet, but slowly pulled out of the driveway, keeping his eyes on the road. 

"O-oh." He mumbled. He reminded himself to focus on the road. Sure, he was left on the edge too, but with him being an android, he could fix the problem easily. Being human made things like that much harder. He laughed internally at the phrasing. 

They were definitely going to be more than five minutes late. 

_ He let it rest on the other's hip, gently massaging the inside of Connor's thigh. Then he turned, allowing his hand to reach his goal and pressing his head onto the other's shoulder. "Let me know if it gets too much babe." He purred, nipping the other's shoulder where the shirt stopped before his hand started to rub in a circle. _

_ To be fair, he did keep an eye on the road, but his focus was finding the right amount of pressure to get a reaction from the other. _

He nodded his head. Sure he could drive without even thinking about it, but if he focused completely on Gavin he'd have a very big problem. So he tried to stay focused, watching the other cars on the road. 

"I will." He managed to get out. He was sure his face was blue. The hand on his thigh was incredibly distracting. It made him want to pull over and pull Gavin into his lap, but he kept driving. He was so glad that he already knew where to go, otherwise he's probably get lost. 

_ Carefully and ever so slowly, Gavin slid his hand into the other's pants, smiling against skin as he found the other was again lacking anything. He knew Connor didn't have to wear anything, considering he could turn features on and off at any point, but it was something he couldn't help but be envious of. "Again?" His voice was breathy. "I could lean down right now, and suck you off, couldn't I? And I'd clean up I promise, wouldn't be a trace." _

Connor let out a shaky breath. He could still safely drive if Gavin did do that… but he would want to focus on Gavin more than the road. 

He tried to shift in the seat slightly, his hands gripped the wheel tightly. 

"Fuck." He groaned out. "You're still adorable though." He said, smirking. He glanced at Gavin for a second before looking back to the road. He also looked incredibly hot and sexy.

_ Gavin chuckled, then shifted in his seat, easily able to bend himself over the middle piece to start kissing as Connor's chest. Nudging up the shirt he made sure to meet skin, and the kisses turned to nips, playful and light. "Even when my head is in your lap?" _

_ He knew it wasn't long til they got to his place, he could tell by the way they paused at lights. "That hot as hell smirk won't work on me now Connor." He purred, and his tongue ran over a strip of skin to where his pelvis was. _

"Ah, fuck." Connor moaned, he was thankful they had a stop light. He closed his eyes for a second before opening them again. Gavin was so amazing at driving him crazy. 

"Even then, I don't think, ugh, I don't think you can not be adorable." Connor said. If he gripped the wheel any tighter he would rip it off, which he most definitely didn't want to do. 

_ Hearing the curse was the best kind of win, but he knew that one pothole they passed over. One more deliberate, slow lick, nipping his hip bone before pulling up as Connor was pulling in front of the apartment. "Oh hey, home already awesome. And hey, maybe you're right." _

_ He attempted to wink to him, still grinning as he waited for Connor to park, ignoring the way his own chest rose and fell slightly faster. He tried to appear unaffected, but the light heat across his cheeks and scar betrayed him. _

Connor took a second before turning the car off. He finally looked over at Gavin and pulled him in by the back of his neck to kiss him. He only pulled back when he was reminded that they were still, technically, in public. 

He loves what Gavin had done to him. He felt so alive like this. His thirium pump was definitely beating faster than normal, it was around the same rate, possibly higher than when he was fighting or chasing someone. 

_ There wasn't a second wasted before the kiss was happily returned, and despite it, his grin never left. "Ah ah- Public. I'm not getting caught again." A quick peck then he pulled away, whistling innocently as he headed to the elevator. Honestly, he was betting they didn't make it out of the elevator, let alone to the shower. _

_ It was fun, to be this free with someone. Gavin couldn't remember the last time he felt freedom like this, but he wasn't focusing on the past right now, swinging to a beat he had stuck in his head, just to make his hips move. _

Connor stumbled out the car, following Gavin. He easily caught up to him and grabbed him by the hips slightly. He reached down and squeezed Gavin's ass before going back to holding him by the waist. 

He leaned over to lick a strip up Gavin's neck. He knew that would definitely get a very positive reaction out of him. 

_ Everything was getting a positive reaction, leaning back into the hands to rub against Connor teasingly. "Ah, phck!" He cursed loudly at the lick though, melting into the other's hands just a bit quicker. "What's wrong Connor, eager?" He was being a teasing shit, and one hand over the one on his hip, he pulled the other into the elevator. _

_ Really, elevators were simultaneously the worst and best invention to exist, as Gavin turned in the other's hold to wrap his arms around Connor's neck. Yeah no, they were definitely going to be late. It was Hank's fault- he knew they would get up to something. _

Connor pushed Gavin against the wall of the elevator but made sure to put his hand between Gavin's head and the wall. 

"Very," Connor said before kissing Gavin. He made sure their bodies were pressed together. He really hoped no one else got on this elevator. 

He was tempted to pick Gavin up. He'd easily be able to hold him up, especially if Gavin wrapped his legs around him, but decided that was better for when they weren't in an elevator. 

So instead, he let a hand trail down Gavin's back, before reaching his ass. 

_ Honestly, the roughness of it got a moan torn from him, swallowed by the following kiss. He tangled a hand in Connor's hair, the other clinging to his shoulder and this- this was honestly how he could die. Connor's body was warm and solid, pushing him into a cold elevator wall.  _

_ Of course, he broke it to mumble out a broken 'Con-nor' as the doors slid open, it being their floor quickly. He was so close to saying 'phck work!' and briefly wondered if Hank knew they wouldn't make it in til later. _

He really wished the elevator was slower, though this did mean they had more privacy. At this point, he'd gladly call in saying he wasn't ready to go back. 

Connor moved back, and took Gavin's hand, pulling him in. Once in, he pushed Gavin back onto a wall and picked him up. He bit at Gavin's neck. He only had to use one arm to make sure Gavin was steady, so he used the other to pull at Gavin's hair slightly. 

_ Honestly, Connor was way too strong to be fair- and Gavin absolutely loved it. His hands held onto the other's back and he exposed his neck to the other, tilting his head. He knew the hickies from the last time were still there, only having started to fade. _

_ "Connor Connor- phck-" He was going to try and get them to head to the bathroom, but the slight tug completely distracted him. He closed his eyes and moved his hands lower, now resting them on the other's sides, heat pooling in his gut as he knew his problem was probably apparent now. _

He left new bruises, but also gently but at the old ones. He knew that they would be more sensitive, so he licked them very gently. 

"Fuck, Gavin." He pulled back to kiss him. "Still adorable." And he was. He loved how Gavin looked, his face flushed. He could feel his heart beating 53% faster than normal. He could also feel other things and decided to help Gavin out. He let go of Gavin's hair and reached down between them. He rubbed Gavin through his pants.

_ There was a brief thought that Gavin would never be bruise-free again, and that was way too exciting to be healthy. He kissed back desperately, wanting to express his want for the other. "You know I am- so proud to get you to curse." He grinned, despite being breathless and the expression quickly fell when the other rubbed him. _

_ "Con-" A soft whine of his name, and he moved his hands to push on the other's shoulder. "Shower- phck- I want this but I also really need a shower." He didn't think he was spending the night at Connor's, or that the OP was going in that direction, so his last shower was in the morning yesterday. He still felt squirmy about the fact he hadn't gotten to shower since the OP. _

Connor hummed and kissed him again. "I'm really fucking glad it's you making me curse."

He kissed him again before he pulled back, but kept carrying Gavin. He walked them to the bathroom, and once there, he finally let Gavin down. 

He didn't turn his back when he pulled his shirt off, or his pants.

_ "I'm going to develop a kink for getting you to curse holy-" He shut up at the kiss, holding onto the other then sneaking his hands to Connor's ass to grab once, grinning in the kiss. _

_ The minute Gavin was let down he removed his shirt, wanting to watch the other but knowing it would be time he wasn't spending kissing him. Though in his haste, he actually smacked his elbow off the kitchen sink and yipped, jumping into Connor for a moment in sudden confusion. "Phck- funny bone- not so funny- ow-" _

Connor chuckled, but he couldn't help but scan Gavin's arm. There was no damage, and he was glad of that. The funny bone wasn't actually a bone at all, but a nerve. He pushed that thought away though, and focused on Gavin. 

He held him by his waist and kissed him gently. "Are you alright?" He mumbled between kisses. He knew that hitting that nerve could be incredibly painful. 

_ He could laugh it off, but soaked in the touch and kisses. "No better vibe check when you're too damn excited than hitting your elbow off of something." He huffed, but then kissed back, pants hanging open as he pressed in for another kiss.  _

_ His hand came up to Connor's abs, tracing a gentle circle on the outline of his thirium pump, before just laying his palm there and feeling the whirr. He couldn't help the immense joy and happiness at feeling it. _

Connor hummed happily, he cupped Gavin's cheek with one of his hands. Gavin was incredibly warm, but that wasn't surprising, and he loved the feel of it. He loved how warm Gavin was, and wanted to keep pressed against him forever. 

He used his other hand to grab Gavin's hip, he rolled his hips forward as he pulled Gavin in. He moaned into the kiss at the friction. 

_ Connor was a steady balance to him and he was glad to feel him heat and cool with their actions. He tilted his head, giving the other more access. Connor's actions were rewarded with a moan that melted into a whine, Gavin needing to finish stripping.  _

_ Pulling back with a swallow, he huffed as his forehead fell to the other's shoulder. "Con- Come on shower." He didn't let the hand leave it's place over the other's heart, so one handed he wiggled against Connor and out of his pants. _

Connor nodded and moved back just slightly to turn the water on. He made sure it was a good temp before stepping in, and making sure Gavin got in without slipping. 

He lets the water hit him first, before moving to let Gavin get under the water if he wanted. 

_ That absolutely wasn't a whine that left Gavin at the other moving away, even if he was the one trying to get them to the shower. The warmth was very relaxing though, and seeing the water hit Connor- was a lot more. _

_ "Phck." He whispered, reaching up finally to thread fingers into Connor's hair. "We're definitely gonna be late." Connor was so damn beautiful, and Gavin wanted to spend hours kissing every single inch of him. _

Connor leaned into the touch, and held Gavin by his hips. The water, plus Gavin felt incredibly nice. He made a note to himself to try a bath at some point. If the bath also had Gavin in it, that would be a definite plus. 

"I don't mind at all." Connor said, leaning down to kiss at Gavin's collarbones. "I wouldn't mind being late every day," he said between kisses. He could feel Gavin's heartbeat on his lips, he knew he'd become addicted to the feeling. 

_ Rising on his tiptoes to give Connor better access, his hands traveled down the other's sides, settling on his hips. He bit at his bottom lip before he spoke again. "I think our boss would mind. Connor- please- touch everywhere I want-" He didn't want a place unmarked by the other after what happened, closing his eyes at the kisses. _

_ His fingers pressed in just slightly, making sure his nails dug, just wanting to leave little crescent marks. Teasing and still deciding if he wanted to drop to his knees or let the other do as he pleased this time. _

Connor nipped at the skin. He reached down to grab Gavin's ass, squeezing slightly. 

He hesitated only for a second before letting his hand explore Gavin. He wasn't sure if Gavin liked this, but he wanted to try. He pushed in just enough that Gavin could feel the pressure. He definitely enjoyed it when Gavin did this to him and hoped Gavin liked it just as much. 

_ There was a happy hum at the squeeze, trying to lean up further into the other. His own fingers squeezed again in response. The hand dipped lower and there was a soft gasp, hiding his face from the spray of the water by placing it against the other's chest.  _

_ He was torn between pressing up to kiss and nip the other's neck or pressing back into his hand. Eventually, he settled on the latter after a quick nip to the skin between the other's shoulder blades, arching his back and encouraging the other. It just occurred to him that his work on the other's chest was gone. Someone definitely saw that patching him up, but it was gone- he needed to fix that later. _

Connor smiled and pressed a little hard, feeling the muscles move. He didn't want to go too fast, especially since Gavin couldn't create his own lube. It would be unsafe to use any of the soaps in the shower as they weren't meant to be internal. 

He kissed at Gavin's neck as he very slowly pushed in. He knew that it could be painful if done too fast. He briefly wondered if Gavin liked that, but pushed it aside to be discussed later. 

_ A soft keen at the slow and gentle treatment. It was way too long since someone else did this for him, and he couldn't help at the soft gasps, tensing his arms to stay still. Trying to keep from being too noisy, he started kissing and sucking where he could. He'd make a pattern later, right now he wanted to make a mark. _

_ However it really was too slow, so he was going to play dirty- moving a hand off of Connor's hip to his length instead, holding it firmly for now. His thumb was the only part to move, back and forth along the underside. _

Connor gasped and his eyes fluttered closed for a second before opening them again. It felt so good, but he wanted more. He wanted Gavin to be rough, and fast. 

With that thought, he pushed the rest of the way in. He didn't move his finger for a few seconds, making sure Gavin was ok. He moved his finger around, before pulling out a bit, then pushing back in. 

_ At the gasp, he couldn't help the smirk he knew the other would feel. When Connor gave, he got in return, Gavin starting to move his hand slowly, glad for the water to make this a bit smoother for them. The sudden intrusion did make him stutter though, and another soft keen left him. It definitely stung for a moment, but the burn was good.  _

_ He pressed back into the other's hand, back bending and hand speeding up slightly as he worried one spot on the right side of Connor's chest. This mark was going to be dark by the time he was done. _

Connor made sure Gavin wasn’t in too much pain before he started to move his hand. He moved it quickly but changed the pace. He started slow then sped up, then slowed almost to stop. He wants for Gavin to not be able to stand. 

Connor tilted his head back, letting out a soft moan. He wanted to last longer than before, but with Gavin, that was incredibly hard. He somehow knew felt amazing, though he guessed he had practice. Connor didn’t like the thought of Gavin with someone, especially since it seemed like they always left. One of the things knew for certain was aftercare was very important.

_ It was working very well, Gavin whining at the almost stop. "No Connor please- please more-" Trying to spur the other on, he starting to nip more frequently, vaguely making a pattern. A heart around the dark hickey was what he was aiming for, though trying to push himself into the other's hand and trying to resist rutting against him- they needed to get out of the shower. _

_ Again name leaving in a breathy sigh, he leaned up to nip at his bottom lip, water getting on his face in the meantime. "You are the most teasing, handsome, beautiful man in this fucking city but I'm going to wreck you if you don't get that delightful hand of yours moving." _

Connor hummed and smiled, a thought coming up. He definitely would do this. He slowly moved his hand, just slow enough to drive Gavin mad. 

“That’s no way to talk, isn’t there a word missing there?” He asks. He knows that they really need to actually shower, but oh well. He would take whatever Fowler gave him, for this. He’d do a lot to be able to see Gavin like this, and know that he was the one making him make those sounds. 

_ There was a swallow before Gavin felt warmth flood his whole body. Fuck Fowler- he could take both of their punishments and would tell him himself that it was because his boyfriend was absolutely too perfect to keep his hands off of. _

_ But he wasn't giving in easily, playing coy and grinning. "I don't know, is- is there?" He knew he wasn't too convincing, gasping between words and then his hand forgetting what it was doing for a moment. But he was going to try. _

Connor nodded, and quickly pushed his finger in all the way. He let it stay there for only a second before slowly pulling back. He almost pulled completely out. He looked down at Gavin. He used his free hand to reach out and grab Gavin’s chin, making sure he was looking at him. 

“I’ll give you a hint: It starts with the letter P.” He said. If Gavin tried to push down on his finger, he would just pull it back farther. “You want my finger to move…” 

_ There was a definite cry out as the other pulled that stunt, Gavin's back arching for a moment. "Oh phck-" He did try to move, and bit down a whine at the other pulling back. But there was a slight misunderstanding as to what he wanted. _

_ "Connor, please- I want more of you." He added another breathy please, losing himself in the warmth he saw in Connor's eyes. He's going to die in this shower- that's just how it was. _

Connor smiled at Gavin. He didn’t move for a second, but once he did he reached down between them to stroke Gavin in time with his finger. He moved quickly, probably faster than a normal human would be capable of. He made sure to try to find Gavin’s spot. He wanted Gavin to come first, he wanted to hear him. 

The water helped, but he did put a reminder to make sure that Gavin was completely alright once they were done. He knew that Gavin liked this, but lube was very important. They would still have to clean off too, but he didn’t really care about that right now.

_ There was a sudden jolt as Connor moved, and he wasn't able to bite back the loud keening noise. He probably startled his cats somewhere with that one. "Connor- Con-" A broken noise as he quickly moved his hand off of Connor's length and to his hips, holding on as his knees threatened to give. _

_ There wasn't much friction there yet, not with one finger, but the speed and then rubbing over that one spot had Gavin nearly choking. A small part of his head went 'this is dangerous because of the shower water, but less of him could care. "Con I'm-" He cut off, trying to move away from the hand. He wanted to come, but he also wanted this to not finish so quickly, especially since he hadn't gotten to tease Connor much. _

Connor watched Gavin, pushing information about his vitals aside. He slowed his pace but didn’t stop moving. He did have to let him go so he could hold on to him with one hand. Slipping in the shower could be incredibly dangerous, and could result in major head trauma. 

“You can come if you want to,” Connor mumbled, kissing at Gavin’s jaw gently. Gavin’s stubble tickled his lips, and he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. “Do you want me to add another finger?” 

_ "Please please please-" At the offer of another finger, he wanted badly to not be able to go in because he couldn't walk after this. But thankfully someone here had the braincells and it wasn't him. He was moving against the other when he slowed, and then he whined. _

_ "Phck this shower- Connor please- want you- everywhere- just-" He felt frustrated he couldn't come up with the words to explain. Instead he turned his head to kiss the other, and got the idea that he wanted Connor to know just how desperate he was. So he reached his hand back in now that the other wasn't so fast- and canted his hips to press into Connor's. Taking Connor in hand, now he moved his hand over the over.  _

He would probably never see anything hotter than this. Gavin wanting him so badly, and he felt the same. He wanted to make him scream in the best way. He wanted to make him not be able to sit for days. He wanted so much. 

He slowly pressed a second finger in. He wouldn't do any more, Gavin and him did have work to do later. He would still be sore though, and the thought made him grin. He only waited a second before pushing the finger all the way in. That would most definitely hurt, but he hoped it hurt in a good way. He tried to help by caressing Gavin's hip where he held him. 

_ Part of him was certain if he was an android, he'd be an early model- he felt like he was short circuiting as the second finger eased in. However he physically jumped at the sudden movement, breath leaving him in an instant and then a low moan following the burn. "Sec-" He mumbled, knowing he needed to adjust and also he almost came. He was shaking for a moment before he nodded. "Ok good- good please move." _

_ His hand moved faster, knowing he was so close and wanting Connor to join him. _

Connor waited for Gavin, making sure he was ok before he started moving his hand again. He made sure to keep hitting Gavin's spot. 

He was worried that the was holding onto Gavin's hip too hard, but he had to hold onto something. He was getting incredibly close, but knew he could hold himself back if need be. 

"You're so fucking beautiful." Connor mumbled between kisses. He loves the way Gavin moved, the way he arched into his touch. 

_ He wasn't lasting, not now. Connor was hitting that one spot and the tight grip was sure to leave a bruise, one he'd press into himself later to calm down. Moaning lowly and pace becoming fast and uneven, he only could answer a soft whisper of Connor's name- and then it was like a bow snapping. _

_ The hand holding onto Con tightened and he arched as much as he could into Connor's hand, tilting his head down into the love-marked shoulder. It didn't really muffle the vibrating moan as Gavin came, bouncing off the walls and really- 'this is why you can't do semi-public sex'. _

Connor didn't stop moving his fingers, but he did slow down. He pressed kisses to Gavin's wet hair. 

"You're so beautiful, so amazing," he mumbled. He wanted to say something else, but it was probably too soon. That last thing he wanted to do was scare him off right now. 

It didn't take much more for him to come. His grip on Gavin's hip tightened and he closed his eyes. He let out a low moan of the others name. 

_ He became pretty sensitive after a couple of seconds, panting softly and shivering at the words. "You too- you too Connor- so wonderful and perfect."  _

_ He kissed one of the hickies he left and then whined as the grip tightened and Connor moaned. Really, refractory period be damned, if they didn't have work he'd spend the whole day trying to hear that repeated. As it was, he pulled away from the other's fingers and leaned up to kiss the corner of the other's mouth.  _

Connor smiled into the kiss, and slowly pulled his fingers completely out. 

"We should probably actually shower." He could help but chuckle. He checked his internal clock. They were already late, but that didn't really bother him. He was tempted to just not go in. 

"Are you ok? I didn't hurt you right?" Connor asked. He used both hands to keep Gavin steady. 

_ A quick sigh as Connor pulled away. "We should." He rested his head on the other's shoulder despite saying that, loving the soft chuckle. But he did eventually pull away, grabbing one of his shower poofs and then looking to Connor. "Let me wash you off?" _

_ He didn't move more than he had to. "Not in any way I didn't appreciate. Sitting is gonna be awkward, glad everyone is used to me refusing to do so." Tina called it his 'subtle callout', and once actually did smack him in jest, but he had a habit of standing and leaning on tables rather than sitting.  _

"I had noticed that, I always thought it was because you were," Connor thought for a moment, "asserting your dominance." Connor said. He didn't move his hands from Gavin's hips, but he did loosen his hold. His hips were definitely going to be bruised. 

"You can if you want, as long as I can return the favor." He rubbed a circle with his thumb across Gavin's hip. 

There was a tiny bit of uncertainty. He knew Gavin had slept with other men, and he worried that he wasn't as good at pleasuring Gavin as others. Of course sex wasn't the main part of a relationship, but he did worry. He could probably find information on how to get better, and all the other information he'd need. He knew that there were androids made for sex, so he could find information from their coding.

_ "Pfft no- It's because I'm gayer than a diamond studded rainbow. And- I have a great ass. It would be a crime to hide it all the time." He wiggled his hips just to prove that point, smiling mischievously. _

_ Grabbing one of his soaps that seemed to fit Connor, ocean and cornflower, he tried to think about the last time he actually used this. It was a brand new bottle unlike his bar soap he had been ordering for a while. Not in any state to actually think straight, he just put it on the poof and started to run it along the other's neck. _

Connor tilted his head to the side, and inhaled a sent. It did smell very nice, and calming. It wasn't what Gavin used, and he only briefly wondered about that. 

"You do have a very appealing behind… Hank, uh, caught me staring one too many times." Connor mumbles, his face turning blue. Even before he was deviant he would look at Gavin and appreciate his looks. Gavin never really showed off his body that much, and he wondered why.

_ There was reasons for everything Gavin did, sometimes not good reasons but reasons nonetheless. "Hm- maybe I'll have to start wearing actual fitting jeans again." He teased lightly, though it wasn't meant to start anything. _

_ He cleaned off the other's chest, smiling at the new hickies. They wouldn't be visible unless Connor wore like, a button up and just didn't close it, but damn it was pretty for how messily done it was. "All your hickies healed." His hadn't, tilting and moving his head provided a gentle burn that made Gavin melt a bit. _

Connor hummed and let his eyes close. He understood why humans loved showers so much, especially with someone else. It calmed him and he loved how gentle Gavin was.

"I would like that, though it would be very distracting." The thought of Gavin walking around in tighter jeans made him blush. He'd definitely blush if Gavin were tight pants. Hank would also make gagging noises more often. 

"After I got shot I had to temporarily turn off the program to make sure I healed completely. Once I was, I turned it back on." Connor explains.

_ "Hm, maybe only when you're good then." He adored the blue on the other's cheeks, and let's out an 'ah' to the explanation, guiding the other to turn around. "Makes sense, just means later- I need to spend an hour marking you up again. Or maybe I can catch you in the evidence locker, leave a hickey somewhere and everyone can guess what happened." _

_ He was swallowing at the thought of messing around like that at work. There were so many places in the building without cameras, it would be so easy yet- Fowler was going to suspend him. Gavin knew it. _

Connor thought of that. He made a reminder to try to see if they could get more security cameras. He could hack the cameras anyway, so the amount of them didn't really matter. They could get away with quite a lot. 

"That would be nice. Though, the office will most definitely gossip about us for at least one month, I hope this doesn't bother you." Connor said. He knew that their co-workers, well most of them, wouldn't mean any warm by it.

_ "They'll gossip either way with how dopey we were yesterday in the morning." He reminded, knowing that photo of them being soft together was definitely passed around the DPD already. He washed off the other's back and then moved to get his hips. "Want me to get down here or will it be too teasing?" An honest question, he knew they needed to actually get done. _

_ Still, he admired the other's back. 'Strong, perfect, beautiful.' His hand reached out to just rest on a shoulder blade, a moment of pure warmth and affection. He realized what he was doing but didn't move, just adoring the fact he could do this now- he could touch and admire and not have to hide it. _

Connor smiled and closed his eyes. He tensed his muscles just slightly, before looking over his shoulder. 

"You can." Connor pressed a slow kiss onto Gavin's lips, putting as much emotion behind it as he could. His insides felt incredibly warm, and he felt safe with Gavin. He was almost always safe, but this was different. It was a different type of safety. He felt… at home. He had this feeling before, with Hank and Sumo, but again, it was slightly different with Gavin. 

He could envision living together, waking up in each other's arms. He knew that he would watch Gavin grow old, while his appearance didn't change. He only wished he was human so he could grow old too. 

_ Content to just kiss back, he held close to Connor and felt the warmth around them and within himself. Connor was a presence he didn't- couldn't- picture being out of his life. And that was terrifying, or it should be, but he could only feel excitement as he knew Connor would still be there when he got Hank's position, when he got Fowler's. The kiss was broken for air and Gavin pressed another kiss to him as soon as he could.  _

_ Eventually he broke it to actually finish cleaning Connor off, and then reached his bar of soap. It was some kind of mountain brand based off of campfires- Gavin just liked the scent and thought 'fire' suited him. "We're so fucking late aren't we?" His voice was warm and amused saying this. _

"We most definitely are." Connor could tell him the exact amount of time, but decided not to. It didn't really matter too much anyway. Hank probably knew what they were doing too. He pushed the thought away, not wanting to think about Hank right now. 

"Let me clean you?" Connor asked, holding out his hand for the soap. 

_ "Hah, sure Con." He smiled at the offer, handing over the bar of soap and moving so he was out of the direct spray. "If you keep staying over, we'll have to get what you use in here ya know? I have to go shopping soon anyways, you could um- send me a list of things you'd like for me to have here?" He never really needed to plan for others now that he thought of it. _

Connor took the soap and made sure it was wet before taking Gavin's arm and rubbing it gently with the soap. He pushed the details of the contents of the soap out of his mind. 

He started making a list, though it wasn't a long one. He didn't need much since he was an android. "I will, thank you. If you'd like, you can keep stuff at my house." 

_ "I might bring some kinda soap- my dumbass would absolutely accidentally use Sumo's soap or something." He said, melting into the touch. He almost laughed at the thought of smelling like dog soap though. He titled his head to soak his hair, closing his eyes as he did so.  _

Connor was gentle as he cleaned Gavin, but made sure that he got everything. It felt domestic doing this. 

"That reminds me, I need to give Sumo a bath soon." Connor commented. He couldn't help himself and placed a quick kiss to Gavin's cheek.

_ "Is he easy to bath? The kitten is an absolute terror." He thought of Connor washing Sumo, and bet it was cute as heck. At the kiss Gavin was quick to kiss him back on the lips, just a quick peck. _

_ As soon as his arms were done he got his 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, not wanting to be in here til he pruned.  _

"He can be, it's the worst when we are done. I'm certain he makes sure we are within range before he shakes himself out." Connor chuckled. It was definitely fun to give Sumo a bath and resulted in lots of laughter from him, and some from Hank. He was always soaked after, but he didn't mind. 

_ "That's adorable. Bastard just puffs out- turns into a small, black puff ball. Doa pushes his fur back it's all sickeningly sweet really." Hands in his hair, he let out a deep sigh, feeling much more relaxed now that he was cleaned. Looking over himself, he deeply enjoyed the bruises hands left on his hips, knowing they were Connor's and only Connor's. _

“I had heard that most cats weren’t fond of water.” Connor said. He knew a few were, like some Ragdolls. Ragdolls were also known for being very kind and cuddly. 

“I believe we are sufficiently cleaned.” Connor said. He scanned both of them and nodded. “Would you like to keep showering, or are you ready to get out?”

_ "Bastard absolutely isn't. Doa doesn't mind but I have to be careful with her." At the comment and the scan, he couldn't help but laugh a bit. "Yeah let's get out, we got to head in at some point." He got the water to turn off and stepped out first, grabbing two towels off the rack and passing one to Connor. _

_ Rubbing his hair with his own til it wasn't soaking wet, he wrapped his hips with it and moved to the mirror. There was leave in conditioner and hair gel on a shelving unit set to the side of the sink. He started to go through a routine of fixing his hair, pushing the wavy locks into place, or attempting to. _

Connor stepped out and dabbed at the water with a the towel before rubbing his hair. He didn’t need to do anything else, but he put the towel around his hips. His hair fell into his face and he brushed it back, but it didn’t seem to want to stay that way. He huffed but left his hair alone. He was incredibly interested to see what kind of routine Gavin had. Many humans didn’t have one, while others had very strick routines. 

They were going to be far later than he had thought they would be this morning. He was glad they were though. “Is your… ass ok?” Connor asked, blushing slightly.

_ He finally got his hair to somewhat obey, which was all he knew he could do honestly. He went through the shelves behind the medicine cabinet, sliding it open. Eyeliner, toothbrush, toothpaste, rubbing alcohol and two cotton balls. He took out his ear piercings and cleaned those first. _

_ At the question however he almost dropped it, an abandoned snort leaving him. "I can definitely feel what we've done this morning, but sadly, I'm still able to walk. Unless you want to fix that~" He was teasing, looking to Connor affectionately. "This all will take like ten minutes." Now Connor could see why his alarm was set a whole two hours before he had to work. _

Connor thought it over. “If we want to get into work sooner then no. I would not want to rush you and accidently hurt you. If you’d like to be extremely late for work, then yes.” He stood close to Gavin’s back, but not too close so he wasn’t in the way. 

“I am glad to see that you take care of your piercings. Getting them infected is painful.” He pointed out. He rests his hands on Gavin’s hips gently, looking down at the forming bruise. He was sure that was going to be sore for awhile. 

_ "Mmmf, don't tempt me Con you know I can't say no to you already." He placed them back in once they and his ears were cleaned, and worked on his eyeliner next. Yes, he wore eyeliner. It took away from the bags under his eyes and it made the grey stand out more. _

_ "Hm? Oh yeah, I just- I get anxious about somehow fucking up my piercings." He admitted, and the hands on him made him sigh deeply, enjoying the warmth yet. "I'm glad I didn't gauge my ears like I wanted to when I was younger." _

Connor wasn’t surprised at all that Gavin had wanted to do that. He could almost picture teen Gavin looking at images online of piercings he wanted, it was quite cute. Connor wondered what he’d look like with makeup, but put the thought aside, deciding to bring it up late. It didn’t surprise Connor that Gavin had steady enough hands to do eyeliner. 

“Do you have anxiety?” Connor asked before scolding himself. He should have asked if Gavin was ok with questions about his mental health first. For some it was a very touching subject, while others didn’t mind. He hoped Gavin was the later.

_ The question was left field, but it also was from Connor. He literally saw him breakdown. "A bit. Mostly about small things- it's why I had a fidget spinner just in my car. How I grew up and my job, surprised anxiety is the only thing they've pinned me with. It just- irks me about small things randomly, not too bad unless shit like yesterday happens and I just..." A deep breath and Gavin leaned into Connor, seeking comfort. _

_ Eyeliner done, he put it away and then focused on brushing his teeth next. _

Connor held him more tightly when he leaned back. He let his head rest on Gavin’s shoulder, looking at him through the mirror. 

“That makes sense. Speaking of, would you like it back?” He asked. He was glad that Gavin hadn’t gotten upset at the question. Did Gavin go to therapy? Some humans were against for some reason, but he didn’t understand why. Therapy helped most people talk it out, even if they didn’t have mental illness it was still nice to talk someone.

_ He only moved to rinse and spit, and he was done with his normal routine, feeling back to his normal, asshole self. Part of him really didn't want to go in, but the thought of bringing down those fucks was pretty good. "Naw, I mess with little chains- you've probably heard something rattle from my pockets. Oh- some day you're going to see me in my actual preferred club wear and damn that's going to be a shock for you." He laughed softly, smiling at the idea. _

Connor wondered what that would like. Gavin mentioned chains, so maybe he’d wear some. The thought made his heart race. He would definitely like to see that. “Speaking of, have you ever been to any kink bars, I hear they are very popular.” It was an odd thought, but the chains made him think of it. 

_ There was a brief sound like choking, Gavin jerking against the other's body as if physically shocked and he turned a bright shade of red. "A- couple... few... Times..." He reached for the other's hand and moved it to a small scar, so light and nearly faded already, over his abdomen in the shape of a liquid drop. "Not every scar I have is from work, to say the least. I learned pretty quick how to manage my own aftercare kit." He said it calmly, not too phased by it. "I still know the flagging code, though lately I haven't been to one." _

Connor hummed in thought. He didn’t like the thought of Gavin having to take care of himself after. It made him want to punch someone, but he just frowned. “You like to be hurt?” Connor asked. He hoped that the scar was wanted, if not, he was definitely punching someone. He moved a hand forward towards Gavin’s stomach to touch his scars. He was gentle when he did, though they wouldn’t hurt.

_ "I do. I guess it's obvious with how much I keep teasing you til you bruise me, but I am a masochist more than a sadist. Not- that I can't give as well as I take but when I would go to clubs, it was often to get fucked up... It's just- not all clubs have strict rules about aftercare. Some shit like wax and knives- you gotta take care of that after and uh..." Gavin trailed off, a more shaking sigh leaving him. "Kinda dark to talk about I guess, but the dom couldn't care so I- couldn't. I'm a lot better from that shit, I have an aftercare kit and first aide kit in the trunk for emergencies, myself or others."  _

_ Looking up to Connor, he reached a hand to cup his face. "We really do need to have that talk at some point, because I don't want kinks to be something you feel needs to be added, or something you come to fear. I don't- want to put you in the place my younger, dumber self was." _

He nodded and leaned into Gavin's touch. "I'm glad that you can take care of yourself, but you don't have to do that alone, not anymore."

"I am intrigued by kinks. I am not sure if or what mine are. We can… figure that out together." It came out more like a question. Maybe Gavin liked being watched as that was very common for kink bars. Did he like being watched? He wasn't sure. He guessed that the best way to try it out. 

_ "It's better to ask what mine aren't honestly." He chuckled, then turned to properly touch the other. "And yeah, it's definitely something we can figure out together. I'm in no rush, but whenever you want to try something amico, just ask." He leaned up and kissed the other on the lips briefly. _

_ "We should get dressed though before I start thinking down that road cause- phck- it's been a while since I've done anything kinky and I could be flipped like a switch right now."  _

Connor only hesitated for a second before nodding. If they started down that path right now they'd never get to work. He had quite a few things in mind that he would be interested in trying out. He would do more research on the different types of kinks how to do them safely. Many I involved dangerous acts and he was definitely wasn't going to risk it. 

"Thank you. I am glad that you are so open." He didn't want to move away from Gavin, so instead he pulled him completely against himself and sighed happily.

_ There was a quick gasp and then a soft laugh as he realized Connor wasn't letting him go. "Hey that's how relationships should be Con. I might not be an expert- but I sure as hell will try." He wrapped his arms around Connor and kissed his chest gently. _

_ "If you have any questions, or just- want to know about my past experiences, don't be afraid to ask. I can't promise I won't become nervous- I've made a lot of stupid decisions in my life, but I won't lie to you. That's a promise." He felt his heart pounding at the truth of it all.  _

Connor smiled and gently cupped his cheek and kissed him. It was gentle, but also deep. "You are amazing. Connor murmured. The feel of Gavin's damp chest against his was nice and warm. He knew they'd definitely have a long talk about kinks, but right now he just wanted to hold him. 

He knew he could be a bit… clingy, but Gavin didn't seem to mind. He actually seemed to like it. He very much enjoyed giving physical affection, and also receiving it. 

_ They both were clingy- and Gavin loved it, now assured he could actually get affection without needing to beg and ask. He tilted his head and responded to the kiss with a happy hum. "And you are perfect. Between the two of us, we're too awesome for the precinct." For once he actually felt confident. "That is- if we make it there."  _

Connor smiled into the kiss. They would definitely be late very often if today was anything to go by. "I believe we would be called a 'power couple'." He only moved back a little, still not wanting to let go. He liked Gavin more than he liked work, and that was saying a lot.

_ "Phck yeah we are." He smiled so brightly for a moment his cheeks hurt, and he was the first to break the hug. "Come on Connor- I- adore you really- but I also like only having you bruise me. If we're any later, Hank is going to sock me in the face for being a bad influence." He pulled away and took his hands. "We'll have to file the paperwork today, and question those assholes, so we still get to work together."  _

Connor sighed and nodded, pulling back. He instantly missed the warmth. He bent down and picked up his discarded clothes, pulling them on. Hank would probably glare at them, but that wasn't new. Everyone would know why they were late too, but that didn't bother him. 

"That is true. I am excited to get to question them with you." Connor stretched slightly. The shirt clung to him only slightly.

_ Gavin got out loose clothes today, in case Fowler somehow let him question those guys. Yeah it would deprive Connor of the clothes he normally wore but he just didn't like the idea of being drooled over again. So a Venom t-shirt and his jacket, and a pair of loose jeans, a small chain dangling from the pocket off the belt loops. It had little charms on it- little bullets. "Alright, you ready to get going?" _

_ He turned and smiled at the way the shirt clung to him. Then remembered his phone and weapon, making sure he got everything he needed for work.  _

Connor watched Gavin. He would never get tired of looking at him, though that almost sounded creepy. 

Connor looked himself over, making sure he was before nodding. "I am. Am I driving or you?" He wasn't sure if Gavin was going to tease him again if he drove. 

_ "You can drive- I won't tease you this time." He said, smiling to him and offering his hand for him to hold. He felt his phone buzz, and when he checked it he choked. "Oh hell, Tina has been blowing up my phone all morning. Oh- she's- she's yelling at me for making you late. Con help." He whined softly at this, laughing after.  _

Connor smiled and room his hand. He couldn't help but laugh. He sent a text to Tina letting her know they were leaving now. He also may have included a hint as to what exactly they did. He was sure by the time they got there most people would already know from her. It was handing to be able to text without using a phone. 

Connor pulled him out and into the elevator, going down to the car. He hoped traffic wouldn't be too bad getting to the office.

_ There were going in at an odd hour, so traffic would thankfully be non-existent. Gavin was happy to walk peacefully beside the other, handing over his keys and getting his music out. "Hmm... Just want to play some radio today? I'd play meme music but honestly that would be distracting." _

Connor snorted and got in, checking the mirrors before turning the car on. Hank had insisted that he learned about memes and vines as most humans his age knew them. "Any music is fine by me." 

_ Again Gavin didn't even touch his seatbelt, but he did make sure the music wasn't too loud. He turned on the radio to pop, feeling rather energetic. Sitting shot a little discomfort through him but it wasn't too bad after he got used to it. He went to texting Tina as they got started. He was asking about the suspects, but also responding to her questions about the morning.  _

Connor listened to the music while driving, humming along to the songs he knew. It didn't very long to get to work, which was good. He turned the car off and got out. He made sure Gavin was with him before walking in. He smiled at the receptionist who gave a nod back. 

He paused when he got a call from Markus. It wasn't too odd, but normally Markus would text him. Maybe something serious happened. He was glad that he did have to talk out loud. 

"Hello, is everything alright?" Connor asked. 

"Hello Connor. I need your help actually. The leaders of Jericho are needed in DC, as one of the main people who helped I'd like you to be there. It also helps that you are skilled at fighting. We have been getting threats, plus you kind of represent the DPD too." Markus explained. Connor hadn't known how much he affected the revolution, but many looked up to him now. 

"When do you need me?" He asked. He hoped it wasn't soon, but of course it was. 

"As soon as you can. I'm so sorry for the late notice but I only just found out myself." Markus apologized. 

"It's alright, I'll be there soon." He had to talk to Hank first before anything else. 

_ Gavin noticed the small pause, tilting his head as his LED turned yellow. He did guide them to not stand in the way, but they were checked in now. They had all day to do paperwork- Connor's LED turning yellow as soon as they entered was worrying. "Connor?" _

_ His voice was cautious, worry settling deep in his chest. He linked their hands again, just in case. Was the receptionist giving him shit? Was he nervous about being seen with him? Was he in a call with Fowler? Fight or flight built in him and he willed himself to calm down by rubbing his thumb in circles on the skin.  _

Connor blinked once the call was done and looked to Gavin. His stress levels had risen considerably. "Are you alright?" Connor asks quietly. He tries to think about what could have happened in that short amount of time he was talking to Markus. 

He really didn't want to leave if something was wrong with Gavin. 

_ "I should be asking you that! You just froze up the minute we got past the receptionist and your mood light went yellow and shit- if this is too public I can tone it down- I'll walk in first-" He cut himself off mid ramble, ducking his head and managing to look sheepish. "You good?" _

"I am. Markus called. He needs me to go with him and the others to DC for something. Not sure what, but Markus said they had been getting threats. It shouldn't take too long, the flight is about two hours. I'll be there at most, two to three days." He explained. He definitely wanted to help, but he didn't want to leave either. "I'll have to leave as soon as possible." 

He would let Hank know first, and check in with the Captain. Fowler had already agreed before about Connor sometimes having to help out with Jericho so he knew it wouldn't be an issue. Hank would of course worry, would Gavin? He didn't want to cause him any stress, and there was only a 48% chance they would actually get attacked. 

_ Oh a phone call. A worrying as fuck phone call. Gavin knew Connor could hold his own, but suddenly so far and Gavin couldn't go with him that was for fucking sure. "Shit- ok-ok I'll uh- I'll get Hank to help me with interrogations uhm- will you be leaving as soon as you tell Fowler or staying at least to finish up this case?" He asked, wanting to know if he could honestly spend the next however long it took as close as possible.  _

_ Of course he was worried, but he wasn't going to make him feel about it. "You'll be able to keep in touch?" He asked, squeezing his hand. _

Connor squeezed back, "of course. There is a low chance of actually getting attacked." He wasn't sure if giving the exact number would decrease or increase Gavin's stress level. 

"I'll talk to Hank and then Fowler first. If they need me to finish up the case I will, otherwise I need to go back to pack a few things then head to the airport." He wanted to make sure he was prepared for anything, so he definitely needed stuff from home. 

_ Gavin eased a bit at that, but there was still a chance. "You can handle yourself though. You fucking fought Cybershit and won, some anti-Jericho punks will be child's play." _

_ Listening to him say he would immediately leave was upsetting, but he understood it. "No no I got it. Hank can help me finish up the case, might be better. Hank won't be as quick to try and beat up the suspects." Maybe. Maybe he would, he knew he in a half-shocked state said partially what happened in the room before Connor broke in. He needed to read the report himself and fix it. He held out his other arm, looking to Connor expectantly and swallowing, as he hoped the other would get the request for a hug.  _

Connor gladly pulled him into a hug. He would admit, he was nervous. He always was when he did something for Jericho after Amanda almost took over. He always had this lingering fear that she would come back. 

"I'll be alright." He said, reassuring both him and Gavin. He would be ok. It was probably just a simple meeting, nothing to worry about. He wasn't sure why he felt like crying. He didn't know why he had this feeling. 

He only noticed he was actually crying when he felt his cheek was wet. He shouldn't be crying. Why was he crying?! He felt so weak like this. 

"I'll be alright." He said again, but his voice wavered.

_ Returning the hug, Gavin immediately felt the wetness on his head and bristled- pulling back to see Connor crying. Voice wavering, tears falling, every protective bone in his body- so all of them- went off. "Connor, babe, amico- Yeah it'll be alright." _

_ 'How ironic that you're comforting him and worrying just as much.' "It'll be alright. You'll protect them ok, and I know that they're in the safest hands they can be with you around. You're so good babe." He kissed the bridge of the other's nose, then his LED, then his cheeks, showering him in affection and giving zero fucks to who saw.  _

Connor felt his stress levels go down from a 76% to 43%. Turns out receiving affection was incredibly good for you health. It took him a minute before he truly collected himself. 

"Thank you." Connor said, kissing Gavin. He could hear some aww, but he toned them out. 

He was so glad he had Gavin here with him. Not only did the physical affection help, but his words did too. He could protect Markus and the others no matter what. He was designed to be good at that. He could do this. 

"I can do this." He muttered. He had to protect them. He knew he'd give his life for Markus, or any of them if need be. He didn't want to have to think about what that would cause for the people who loves him. 

_ Of course he kissed back, and if he wasn't holding Connor's face he would've flipped them off. But soon Connor's tune changed and Gavin smiled to him. Fear gripped every part of him but he stayed strong for Connor. "You can do this. Call me as often as you want, I will wake the fuck up to answer if I have to." _

_ He pulled the other into more kisses, and then stood on his feet regularly. He took both of Connor's hands and held them, raising them in front of Connor. "You protected me. You can protect them. You got this, no one else is as good at this as you are. Now, let's go in there and tell Hank. I'm here if you need me." He kissed the knuckles of each hand and smiled to Connor.  _

Connor flushed blue with… well, love. It felt odd thinking that, but he was definitely feeling very strong affection right now. It was different from love he felt for other things, like Sumo and Hank. It seemed there were many types of love one could feel. 

He took in a few deep breaths. His stress levels were still higher than normal, but that was to be expected. He nodded, and kept a hold of one of Gavin's hands as they walked in. 

Hank looked up and smiled, but taking in Connor's worried expression. Connor smiled slightly, and kept reminding himself that he could do this. 

_ Tina spotted them but Gavin glared, shaking his head at her and squeezed Connor's hand instead. She thankfully got the hint and didn't move towards them. Gavin lead Connor over seeing the hesitance, and even intertwined their fingers. "You got this Con." He assured, lowly so no one else could hear. _

_ Fuck the whole precinct who seen them and definitely knew now they were dating. He couldn't care less, he was proud as fuck to be Connor's and for a moment he debated taking off his jacket just so they could see all the bruises again.  _

Connor smiled gratefully at Gavin. 

"Connor, is everything ok?" Hank asks, standing up. He looks between the two, only squinting at Gavin for a second. 

"I'm needed in DC for Jericho. I'll be leaving soon. You do not need to worry though, there is only a 48% of getting attacked, and if we are there is a 96% that everything will be fine." He said. Numbers helped Connor, he was better with numbers than emotions. 

"Shit, fucking hell." Hank cursed. "I swear, I'd anything goes wrong I will fucking bring you back to life, then kill you again." Hank sighed and rubbed his face. 

"I'll hold you to that." Connor chuckled.

_ At the squint, Gavin actually bit his tongue to keep from sticking it out, pressing closer to Connor's side. Then he heard the statistics, and Gavin bit a bit harder, the pain lancing through him and keeping him from squeezing Connor's hand. 'That's almost half. That's almost half. That's almost half.' He took a breath, knowing Connor didn't see it that way. _

_ "Hey hey- nothing will go wrong- this is fucking Connor we're talking about. He got this." Gavin defended, before looking to Fowler's office to see the door was open, for now. "You better get to telling Fowler. I need to see if Hank caught up on the OP files yet or not." 'If not I can edit them hah.'  _

"You're right," Hank frowned with worry, and patted Connor on his shoulder before awkwardly doing the same for Gavin. 

Connor smiled at that. He was glad that Hank was doing is best to make sure to get along with Gavin. 

Connor looked at Fowler's office and nodded to himself. He placed a quick kiss to Gavin's cheek, and squeezed his hand one more time before pulling away to inform Fowler. 

_ Gavin accepted the pats with only a shocked tension, blinking in guarded confusion. But he relaxed at the kiss and squeezed back, watching him walk away before turning to Hank. He resumed the tension he used to have, hands in his pockets, taking the chain in his fingers out of sight.  _

_ "Alright, so you'll probably have to help me on the interrogation. We have them dead to rights on the charges, but we still need to figure out how they picked their victims, and see if we can get a list of employees they forced themselves on." He said, speaking to the case because it keep his mind from Connor leaving.  _

Hank nodded, slightly distracted as he watched Connor walk into the office, closing the door behind him. 

"Right. He… you make him really happy you know that? I just… Jesus I can't believe I'm saying this, thank you. He's, well, he's like a s-son to me" Hank's voice broke slightly before he pulled himself back together. 

"I'm not sure what I'd do without him." Hank sighed. If Connor died, well, he wouldn't. He'd walk to DC if he had to.

_ Blinking confused was his first reaction, and then Gavin rubbed his nose scar. "I- there's no need to thank me Anderson. I am the lucky fucker here that Connor likes me, and honestly, I should be- I am- thanking you for sticking with him- for being able to change. Phck... Let's not talk about the possibility here though..." _

_ He swallowed his pride, adding in a soft 'please' because he couldn't think of the shit that could go bad. "Let's finish this case so he never sees it. Least keep him from knowing about that fucked up night." That's the last thing he wanted, he broke down enough because of this, it was time to move on. _

"Good idea, he doesn't need any more stress. If he knits me one more blanket I might scream." Hank said with a laugh. 

"Since you two were so late," he paused to glare slightly, "I've had time to go over the case files. Should be pretty easy and straightforward. Hate fucking paperwork, but what the fuck ever." 

Connor walked out of Fowler's office and down back to the other two. 

"I'll be leaving, are you two good?" Connor asks. Hank nods and pulls Connor into a hug. 

"Tell me when you land alright?" He says before pulling back. Connor nods and smiles. 

"I will, don't worry." He turns to Gavin. He still had an odd feeling about this, but pushed it aside. 

_ He bristled a bit, but was glad the other didn't comment on what was in the case files. 'Not his place, you two are barely amicable coworkers let alone friends.' So he simply shrugged. "I'll try to keep it from being a habit- he doesn't need to get in trouble cause of me," he simply agreed. "Don't worry about the paperwork old man I'll get that. I just need help with the interrogations." _

_ Looking to the other, he smiled despite the stab of fear. "Of course." He opens his arms, like hell Connor was leaving without a hug. He wanted to kiss the other til he was breathless, but he'd settle for a hug. Connor's fear only set his off more, and the stats didn't help, but he hid it behind a confident smile. "And just think, you're first undercover OP will be written down as a success by the time you get back. You'll probably get more with Hank then, so get back as soon as possible."  _

Connor quickly pulled Gavin into a hug, holding him tightly. "I'll text as much as I can ok? I know you and Hank will do great." Connor said into Gavin's neck as he buried his face into his shoulder. He really didn't want to let go, but he leaned back and kissed Gavin. He barely heard Hank mumble something about a salad before he leaned back. He had let Markus know when he'd be at the airport. 

"Stay safe while I'm gone." Connor said to both of them. Hank nodded and ruffle his hair. 

_ There was a moment Gavin showed how worried he was, and it was when he kissed back, holding onto Connor tightly and trying to pour all his affection into the kiss. "I know- I know- stay safe Connor and- I'll message you pics of Doa and Bastard and-" His chest thudded and he squeezed the other before he heard the comment and let go.  _

_ Watching the family moment he smiled, confidence in his voice he didn't feel. "We will we will. Message me when you land!" He said, and then blinked. It was snowing here- it would be freezing in DC. Quickly, he shed his coat and threw it around Connor's shoulders. "Here dipshit- you left without a coat. Give this back when you get back alright?" He grabbed his shit out of the pockets and put it in his jean pockets. Now Connor had to get back, he had to give him his coat back. It was stupid, irrational, Connor could literally be a furnace for him. But it made him feel better.  _

Connor nodded and put the coat on. It smelled like Gavin and he knew this would help keep his stress lower. 

"I will and I'd like that. I shouldn't be gone for long." Connor assured them. He felt like crying again but he pushed the tears back. He was strong, he could do this. 

He kissed Gavin again. He knew he would be fine. He had to be. There was this weird feeling though, he couldn't explain it. He wondered if Gavin or Hank could feel this too. There was probably a word to describe it, but Connor didn't have it in him to find it. 

He pulled back just enough to rest his head against Gavin's, their noses bumping. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. He could do this. He opened his eyes and stepped back. If he didn't let him go now, he wasn't sure he'd ever leave. 

_ Gavin returned the kiss with a hand on his cheek, trying to reassure him though everything screamed no. Connor was supposed to be off from work- fuck he was shot! But here he was, going off on another mission, and Gavin suddenly was struck with so much selfishness to request Connor be his partner, that he could protect him. _

_ Of course he didn't voice this, thumb rubbing into the skin. It hit him so suddenly- he would do anything for Connor, and he knew the emotion vice gripping his throat and heart. Love. He loved Connor. He always was an idiot that fell in love too easily, it's why he avoided it like the plague. It was too fucking early and a dick move to say now, so he tried to convey it with one last kiss. "Get going Con, see you in a couple days." He said, his smile dopey for a moment. _

Connor nodded, and turned to walk out. He felt like his heart was breaking somehow, but the scan told him nothing was wrong. It must be an emotion then. He couldn't turn back to look at them. He had to keep moving. He pulled the jacket tighter around him as he left the building. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Normal  
> Lupo: Italicized  
> Text message: Underlined

Connor stood stiffly, he wasn't really listening to whatever Markus and some politician were saying. It did matter to him, but he decided to toon it out, instead focusing on his surroundings. The world outside was peaceful as DC slowed down after the lunch rush. 

He was finally starting to relax until he heard an odd sound. It took him only a millisecond to realize what that was. Gun shots. 

He moved quickly, locking the door. "Markus, we need to go." Connor said. Markus paused and looked up at Connor before nodding and standing. 

Connor had the schematics of the buildings which came in handy when he plotted how to get out of this without any harm. His main focus was on Markus. He had to keep him safe.

He slowly opened the other door, pulling his gun out. He motioned for Markus to keep quiet as he moved out into the hallway. He could hear more gunshots coming from the west. He also detected smoke, and knew that the building was on fire. Great. That complicated things. 

Markus stared at him with wide eyes as they moved through hallways silently. Connor looked back and saw the politician following, but he also saw someone at the end of the hallway. Fuck. 

He raised his gun to shoot, but was a second too late. The other gun when off, then Connor's and the man dropped to the ground. He looked to Markus who was fine, but the politician laid in the ground. He heard footsteps running and made a choice. He'd have to leave the man. 

He ran and kept making sure no one was too close. He would keep them safe.

_ The minute Connor left, he told Hank he needed to talk to Tina, hoping the other would understand. And boy he did need to do that. She chewed him out for not telling anyone how the bodies would affect him, and then chewed him out more when he admitted to having a panic attack at Connor's. But she also congratulated him, and he told her- _

_ Gavin fucking Reed loved Connor Anderson. He tried so hard to tell his heart to chill the fuck out, but it wouldn't. It beat and beat and stronger and faster when he thought of the days, the way Connor cared, the way he felt safe and honest. If they went into a breakroom so Gavin could cry at the fact he fell in love despite saying he never would again, no one commented. She went with him into the main room, and just stood with him when he had to go through the paperwork, a comforting hand as they pulled up the pictures. _

_ He still puked in the bathroom. But it wasn't as bad. He made sure the paperwork was done with before someone could comment on the responding officer's comments to his panic and grief losing some of the people there. The day was horrible, but Gavin got through it, wishing Hank a good night and heading home. Alone and terrified, he barely slept. _

_ The next morning he knew he would have to do the interrogations, Hank and him put it off. But he was delaying it to watch the DC meeting. Seeing Connor alive and well made him relax. Until he moved. They were moving. They were moving and then there was a bustle and under it all his heart dropped. He remained stock still in his seat as he watched the livestream of the meeting go to shit and heard, very faintly, gunshots closer to the camera now that Connor was missing. _

_ "No." His voice was so broken and small, no one probably even heard it. They weren't Connor. Terminal on, even when the livestream suddenly cut and switched to the news, he could feel everything in him shatter. The news shown the building on fire and 'reports of shots fired inside'. He needed- something- someone- anyone. He felt fear so strong and shoved his shaking hands into his pockets. Despite the flight response being so strong to run, run all the fucking way to DC, he knew he couldn't do anything. He needed out of the DPD but he couldn't move, eyes on the smoke, his breath was becoming shallow and he felt black in his vision. _

Hank sat at his desk stunned. Connor had said it was a 48% chance. Of fucking course it happened. He felt felt himself crying as he stared at the screen. He knew Gavin was watching the same thing, most who had free time we're watching too. Everyone cared about Connor. He heard someone turn the TV on to the news channel, and the office went silent. He looked up and saw the smoke. Connor would be safe. He had to be. 

Connor felt his stress level getting higher every second. They were on the 74th floor, and there was no way he was using elevators. He couldn't go up, he didn't have a parachute. Then meant he had to go down. He had no doubt that they would run into trouble. 

He pulled out a second gun and handed to Markus. 

"I don't want to shoot anyone." Markus said, holding the gun with disgust. 

"It's for protection. We have to take the stairs down. It's going to be crowded and it's going to be hard to know who is trying to kill us or not." Connor explained before pushing open the door to the emergency stairway. 

The noise was almost unbearable. It sounded like everyone in DC was running down this staircase. It for worse when the fire alarms went off. 

He ran down the stairs, keeping track of Markus. 

On the 71st level the door slammed open and Connor raised his gun. It didn't take him long to know that this wasn't a good person. They had a black mask over most of their face and had a symbol often used for anti-android. Connor shot him without blinking. More screaming followed. They had to find a clearer stairway. 

He went through the door the person came through, looking around the corners before walking out. There was another stairway down the hall. He ran forward, checking around corners before motioning for Markus to follow. 

They only had to stop two times on the way to the stairs. Each time Connor got off a clean shot. 

"Connor!" Markus yelled before he heard two gunshots. 

He turned around and saw a man on the ground and Markus with the gun raised. 

"Shit, Connor your arm." Markus said, lowering the gun and rushing forward. His hands shook as he reached for Connor. 

A warning flared up in Connor's head. He had been hit in what would be considered a major artery. If he didn't do something, he'd bleed to death. 

So he did the only thing he could, he took his arm off. He'd still be able to shoot and fight, but it did slightly decrease their chances of getting out. 

"Come on, let's go." Connor said, opening the door to the, thankfully, empty stairway. The smoke was getting stronger. He really needed to get them out. 

He took Gavin's jacket off and gave it to Markus, "put this on and pull the hood up." Connor commanded. Markus did as he was told without question. 

They made it down to the third floor before they ran into trouble. The door slammed open into Connor or quickly steadied himself. That gave them an opportunity to disarm him. 

Connor was glad there was only one. He easily took them down and knocked them out. 

They were almost out. Once they were on the ground, Connor opened the door and looked around. Everyone was running for the exists. He moved out. So close. 

More gunshots rang through the air. He ducked and pulled Markus down. 

"Fuck." Markus said, collapsing to the ground. 

"Markus!" Connor shouted. He found the shooters and took them out before scanning Markus. 

He had three bullet wounds. One in each leg and one in the shoulder. Connor knew that Markus was able to feel the pain. He wouldn't be able to walk. 

Connor mumbled a quick sorry before he picked him up, holding him over his shoulder with his one arm. 

He rushed out of the building and towards the cop cars. They made it out. 

Markus would make it, thankfully. He kept him safe. He looked up at the burning building. He could see news helicopters flying around. There were still people in the building. 

Connor closed his eyes. He set Markus down with an EMT and grabbed his gun and ran back into the building.

_ No one had eyes on the ground. No one had eyes in the building. The fire was on the 65th floor, and they knew the meeting was on the 70-something-nth floor. As the minutes ticked by, Gavin couldn't sit, he couldn't stay. He couldn't hear- he couldn't. He got up, and ignored the way the world swayed, the way he couldn't breathe. If he broke down, someone else would and someone else would. He needed to run. He didn't know where to. But he started out, just grabbing his phone and holding it in a death grip as he left the building. _

_ He just started to walk, trying to keep from veering into the street, but he barely made it to the computer repair shop that was four buildings down. He seen the report playing on a tv in the display window and walked in, watching the news somewhere he couldn't be found. _

_ He should've stopped Connor. He should've told him that he was injured, he couldn't do this, he should stay and relax and hold him. Not leave. But that would've been selfish and Gavin in so many ways was selfish, but not with Connor. He sunk to his knees in the shop shook violently, the world spinning as confirmation of death was on the screen. The store clerk came over, a cooling fan attached to his hand blowing air over his face. He recognized the android was trying to help him breathe, words coming to him through a fog, but he focused on the hum of the fan. It was steady, like Connor's heart, and eventually he could breathe again. _

_ It was a whole hour til he left the shop. There was now a slight whirring sound in his pocket- a cooling fan, smaller, more thirium-pump sounding, in his breast pocket, and Gavin focused on the noise as he walked back. He had to believe he'd hear the real thing. He couldn't break. Not now. He quickly ordered pizza, soda, coffee, water, and a shit ton of sweets to be delivered to the DPD, and waited outside for the people to show up. It took two people and Gavin to carry all the stuff in, and he paid for it silently, telling everyone to be quiet. _

_ He knew no one was leaving the precinct for a while, but he knew they would need food. Quietly, he brought the food into the bullpen and then the breakroom, setting it out with the other two. He thanked them silently and proceeded to round those up he knew had skipped their lunch break. Including Hank. "Hank... Come on. You need to drink something- he's fine. You have to keep thinking he's fine."  _

Hank finally looked away from the screen and looked at Gavin. He didn't hesitate to pull Gavin into a hug. He cried softly before pulling back. The room was still silent except for a few sniffles, crying and mumbled. He wasn't sure if this silence would be worse if there was too much noise. 

Connor ran back in, looking for anyone with a black mask over their face and anti-android symbols. They'd shoot at any android they could find, and Connor was not going to let anyone die. Not on his watch. 

He had to push through the crowd while keeping an eye out. He'd have to check each floor. That was going to take awhile. He hoped the fire department did their job quickly. 

He searched each level as fast as he could. A few bodies bleeding blue littered the floors. Connor felt like crying but kept moving. 

He followed the sounds of gunshots. He took out any threats before moving on. 

He could tell he was getting close to the fire. It seemed to be spreading fast too. Just what he needed. 

When he got to the fire he looked around. He scanned the area and saw a few people trapped. 

He didn't hesitate to run in. He guided everyone out before moving to the next floor. 

He could feel the fire burning at his skin, but he couldn't stop. He knew there were more people. He wouldn't abandon them. 

Everything was so much harder with only one arm, but somehow he managed. His stress level was at 96%. He'd need to calm down soon or risk self destruction. 

He made it to the top of the building. He had gotten everyone out. He did it. He sighed in relief but moving to go back down the stairs. He had too many system warnings he could barely think, let alone move. 

He had to get out. He wouldn't die here. It was incredibly slow, but he moved down the stairs. He could feel a few places where his synthetic skin had completely burned off. He probably looked like a mess. He knew he could get it fixed though. 

When he got to the bottom floor almost everyone was out. He tried to guide people out of the building. Once everyone was out he too left. 

He heard another gunshot and looked around. A man held a gun up to the air and people scattered away from him. 

He was human and one of the ones that had been trying to kill him. 

"You robot! You will die for what you have done to us." The man shouted pointing his gun. 

Connor looked around. The area was mostly cleared out, but he could see the edge where new reporters were scrambling to see what was happening. 

"What have I done?" Connor asks, holding his hands up. 

"You don't deserve to live! You are a machine and you'll never be alive." The man shouted. His stress levels were even higher than Connor's. 

"We can talk this out. My name is Connor, what's yours?" He moved forward slowly. 

"Fuck you! I don't give a damn what your name is." The man sneered and pulled his mask off. He kept his gun pointed at Connor. 

"Alright, could you tell me what you want? I can maybe get it for you." Connor reasoned.

The man wavered only slightly. "I want my fucking job back. I want you plastic fucks to all go to hell!" 

Connor could barely move before the gun went off. 

He heard another, and knew it was from a police officer. He looked down and saw blue slowly oozing from his chest. The world seem to become quite as he fell to his knees. 

``System failing, shutting down`` 

Connor struggle to stay awake. There were EMTs rushing over, but he could barely feel anything. His last thought before he blacked out was Gavin's face.

_ Maybe one day Gavin would be proud of his ability to stop feeling. He remembered the days Elijah would jokingly call him an android, back when androids were science fiction, when he stood up to their parents and the bullies, days when Elijah was scared of failing and never making anything to outlive him. He always took and took, never liking seeing anyone in pain. Beneath the asshole persona and the self-defensive hatred, he was a bleeding fucking heart that took and took and honestly, he didn't have a dead kid to explain his drinking problem. Just too many times he walled off til he could break away from prying eyes. _

_ And now was no different, Gavin pulled Hank tighter and let him cry, swallowing hard and focusing on the whirring of the fan. When Hank pulled away Gavin made sure to get tissues for him, and then brought over something sweet and water for him to drink. He set it down and squeezed the man's shoulder before bringing water to anyone who couldn't move.  _

_ Then the news had a camera on a ground. So many people hurt, but so many others spared. Someone was guiding them out and his heart clenched, placing a hand over the fan and feeling it. 'Please don't be a hero, you've been a hero enough, just come back.' Gavin never would get this kind of moment, he wasn't a man of the spotlight, and he stopped believing he was a hero a long time ago, yet he knew Connor would never turn down the ability to be one. He'd break himself. It hurt. Hands started to shake but then someone was sobbing in the break room. Stabilizing himself with a bite to his cheek, he got back to taking care of everyone as subtly as he could. _

_ Then the news focused in on them. Armless, burnt, bleeding- only parts of the conversation were caught. But Gavin knew. Gavin fucking knew. He felt a hand on his back and a soft 'Gav?' and he knew why. He could feel it, tears on his face. And then the shot went off, and he broke. Hands muffled the broken cry he let out and he sunk to his knees.  _

_ Connor didn't have to be a hero but he was, of course he was. Even in the last moment, he kept the shot clear. Anger at the cops for not shooting on sight, grief, pain- he broke and curled and couldn't hear the soft curse Tina gave as he started crying, shaking from the force of the silent sobbing. He loved him and he should've held tighter, but he didn't and now he was fucking gone. Something finally went right in his life, and the best person in this damned city was gone, and because he didn't do the only thing he was known for. He couldn't feel or hear anything, and eventually he couldn't even breathe right.  _

You could hear a pen drop after the shot before all hell broke loose. People starting crying, others looked on with numb faces. Fowler had left his office to watch and had an odd look on his face. He had lost so many good men. And now Connor. 

Hank couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. Connor was somewhat unrecognizable, but then the shot. He felt something inside of him break again. He knew this pain. This was the pain of a father losing a child. His legs gave out as he fell onto the floor. 

A thought came to his mind. Somehow Connor knew. He had seemed far more nervous than he'd ever been. Connor should have trusted his instincts. He shouldn't have… Hank couldn't breath. He felt like screaming and crying. He felt like getting so drunk he never woke up. 

He lost another kid. He lost Connor. He knew the chances of surviving a gunshot to the heart. He knew that it was almost impossible for even a human to live. Connor… he was gone. 

The EMTs rushed over. An android looked Connor over before opening his chest. Gunshot wound to his thirium pump. The android took it out, and grabbed another, putting it in. It wasn't the same as Connor's, but it would have to do. 

``System restarting``

Connor gasped in air and opened his eyes. He was alive. He looked down at his open chest. He was alive, he could barely believe it. 

"Can you tell me your name?" An EMT asked. 

"Connor. My name is Connor." He choked out. 

The man smiled and motioned to his team to get him on a stretcher. 

_ Eventually everything took its toll on Reed. He literally couldn't breathe, curled so tightly inwards in hopes if he hid away the pain would leave. There was a moment he just- stopped. It's not like he had an inhaler for his anxiety attacks, cause none ever hurt this bad. He never got this close. Vaguely, for a minute, everything came back to him- Tina's curse, the news reporter droning on, Hank's thump. Then everything went black- _

_ "Shit! Reed passed out- shit shit-" She looked to Fowler since Hank was down for the count, moving Gavin to lay on his back. He was a fucking mess and Tina's heart broke. She could see the outline of the fan, faint scraping coming from it where Gavin gripped so hard it bent. She couldn't do anything but get the jacket off of him. He was going to wake up in a couple minutes, but he would be too weak to move for a while. She turned her head as everyone did though, when the EMTs started buzzing around Connor. _

_ Connor was alive. Connor was a-fucking-live! She moved over to Hank, nudging him. "Hank- Lieutenant- he's alive look!" She basically forced the man's head up, not letting another fucker pass out on her. "Shit-," wiping her own tears for a second, she got up to start looking for the hospital's number that Connor would go to, using Hank's terminal.  _

Hank let out a choked sob, staring at the TV with blurry eyes. The other officers jumped to their feet if they were sitting and everyone started to clap and cheer. Connor was alive!

Hank felt almost hysterical. Connor really was going to be the death of him. 

Fowler moved quickly towards Gavin. It had been a bit since he was in the field, but he knew what to do. He started a timer. The amount of time Gavin passed out would be incredibly important. He moved him so that his body could take in air easier. 

He looked at Tina and mouthed one word, 'Kamski'. He didn't know much about androids, but he did know Connor was one of a kind with how he was made. 

Fowler smiled at the other officers who were cheering. Even the officers who didn't seem to like Connor looked happy. He was one of them, and they didn't want to see another brother die.

_ Gaining the hospital information, Tina immediately grabbed Gavin's phone, moving into another room to make the call. She breathed out a sigh of relief when she got an answer, and quickly explained the problem at hand. Thankfully Kamski was ahead of the game, already trying to get a hold of Connor's body to get him transferred to him, though- He appreciated knowing his brother wasn't single.  _

_ Two minutes. The normal recovery time for it was 20 seconds, but his stress torn body started breathing regularly at 43 seconds and he whimpered back into consciousness at two minutes and three seconds. Everything burned, and it hurt to breathe through his throat that felt on fire. Each inhale was like ash in his lungs, and when he opened his eyes the world spun before it settled on Fowler. His head felt like it was pounding and the noise was horrible. His memory was a blur, everything was a blur, and holy fuck. It felt like the time he fell down a flight of stairs while drunk. "Cap... tain?" His voice was so scratchy and rough.  _

_ He felt cold and noticed his jacket was missing, and there was a vibrating against his chest. A movement of air. But the room wasn't normally cold- why was he so cold now? _

Fowler sighed in relief. Gavin would be ok. "Reed, you good? You passed out from stress. Connor is alive and headed to the hospital. Tina called… the person best fit for fixing Connor." Fowler was aware of people around. He didn't need Reed stressing about people knowing who he was related to. 

An officer who noticed Gavin wake up brought over a water and handed to Fowler who nodded his thanks. 

Connor got the notification of the request and confirmed it. Once he was stable enough to be moved he'd be transferred to Kamski. It wasn't all that surprising that he had a place at his house he could operate on Connor. 

Connor sent a quick message to both Hank and Gavin. 

I will be fine, but it may take a few days to be fully repaired

_ Connor. 'Shit Connor!' His heart was racing again before the words fully washed in, fear melting and throat clogged up. He could Reed between the lines pretty well, and his body simply shook slightly before he got himself to sit up. "I won't be good til he's back." He said truthfully.  _

_ He chugged the water, and looked to the two. "Shit- sorry for passing out on you captain I thought- I was handling this pretty well." 'Til he got fucking shot. Til he got shot- oh fuck he got shot and he's hurt, I want to leave, I want to be there.' He could drive over- grab Hank, and just go. But he knew he'd just be in the way. "Is everyone- everyone here good?" Push it aside- push it aside. He tried to stand but really felt too fucking weak to move. It pissed him off a bit. "Shit is Anderson alright?"  _

Fowler placed a hand on Gavin's shoulder, keeping him in place. He didn't need him falling over and passing out again. "We're all good here. It was tense until Connor woke up." He glanced back up at the TV. A younger woman was talking and apparently it was about Connor. 

"He saved me and my sister's life. I saw him leave the building, and when I turned my sister wasn't there. I saw him run back in and I thought he was crazy! Then she was. He saved her and I'll be forever grateful." The woman said before it switched to other people. 

"Hank will be fine… I'll definitely be giving him days off though." Fowler sighed. "You too, I don't want to see either of you until Connor is ready to come back too."

_ Gavin looked to the breakroom, glad to see his forethought came in handy, as people got food and drinks. He didn't even bitch at the contact, accepting he wasn't in no shape to move. He finished his water with shaking hands. The TV was dull noise to him, something he couldn't focus on. A lot of things were still dull noise. "I bet." He said weakly, trying to offer a grin to seem somewhat normal. Somewhat like he didn't pass out from a panic attack. _

_ At the time off he did tense, eyebrows furrowing. "Captain- we still have to get those fucks from the last case interrogated- and the bodies need identified- I can't just- leave-" He couldn't do that to Connor. Yes he wanted to finish this case on a deeply personal level, hating those bastards, but there was also the fact Connor and him worked so hard on it. Connor deserved the win. He told Connor this would be filed and done.  _

Fowler sighed and nodded, not surprised. Gavin had always been driven and never seemed to back down from a case. 

"Either wait till Connor gets back or finish it up tomorrow. You definitely aren't working today, and that's an order. I'll also be sending Hank home." It seemed like the best choice to him. As long as the case got solved he didn't really care. He wanted to let everyone take a small break after what they just saw. He even felt like he needed one. Who knew one android could have such a big impact on the people around him. 

It did take Hank a few moments to be able to pull himself into his chair. When he got the text from Connor he couldn't help the wide smile that spread across his face. Connor was alive and he'd be given the best care. He was a police officer, and he saved many lives with what he did. He was definitely going to get a lecture though, on self-preservation. 

Hank looked over at Gavin. He didn't seem to be doing so well, but he was definitely better than what he could be. It didn't take too much to realize why Fowler was kneeling next to him. He didn't blame the kid for passing out, he almost did so himself.

_ He could finish it up tomorrow. He could. The 'that's an order' cowed him enough to relent though, sighing right back to the man. "Yeah yeah... I- guess. I guess." He gripped the bottle hard enough to crinkle it then felt the fan. It was a moment til he pulled it out, eyeing the dented metal and the way it kept whirring. Still sounded a lot like a thirium pump, when your head was against the chest containing one. "I'll be in and finish it tomorrow. I told him I would finish it before he was back." _

_ Tina was back in shortly, and she let out a sigh of relief seeing Gavin sitting up. Running over to him she knelt. "Shit- Gav- hey- Thank you captain for checking on him." She moved to take off her jacket and wrap it around Gavin, lowering her voice. "Want me to grab something from your car? You still have that one hoodie in it right?" Gavin shook his head. _

_ "Just wanna fucking stand- could you-" It was hard to ask for help with this, the fan being gripped again as he swallowed. "Help me up? I want to at least sit in a damn chair and not- on the floor." She nodded, knowing how he hated looking weak and then looking to Fowler for permission to help the man up.  _

Fowler nodded and stood up himself. He was getting too old for this shit. 

"Try to relax Reed, Connor doesn't need the stress of you passing out." He gave the man a nod before he moved to go back to his office. He stopped by Hank's desk first though. 

"Anderson, you have the day off, go home and relax. No stopping at bars." Fowler said. 

Hank nodded. He wouldn't get drunk, he knew if he did Connor would be disappointed in him and he couldn't bear the sad look he'd give Hank. 

"Understood," Hank said. He definitely wanted to get home so he grabbed his stuff, logging out. He moved away from his desk and towards Gavin. 

"Are you alright? Connor sent a text saying he'd be fine." Hank said. He didn't know if Gavin had gotten the chance to look at his phone.

_ Tina helped Gavin up, arm around his back and Gavin felt his legs shake. They stayed standing for a moment. "No promises captain." He feels sick just standing but he swallowed it down. Eventually, he could stand on his own. "Thanks, Tina." _

_ "Next time you let it get that bad Gavin, I personally will send you to the fucking hospital." She warned, then smiled to the lieutenant as he walked over. _

_ Gavin looked to Hank, and sighed in soft relief, tucking the fan back into the pocket. "Phck no. But I will be it's- no need to worry. Glad everyone is good- glad you're good. You looked worse than me." A lie, a lie but he wouldn't acknowledge any of this. "I'm- phck. Phck." He kept cursing then looked to Tina and Hank. _

_ He hated people knowing. But going home was fucking terrifying. "Do you- want to go see him?" Fowler implied he was with Eli. "You'll have to drive cause uh..." He looked to his legs. Yeah, no he was taking a cab if not.  _

"I definitely was before he woke up. That kid can't ever seen to actually die, and now I'm so happy about that fact." Hank chuckled. He remembered when he pulled his gun on Connor. He wasn't doing so well that night, and yet Connor would have let him do it. 

Hank thought for a second, "we should get some stuff for Connor, clothes and whatnot. He'll probably be flown here since someone at Jericho can probably help. I can drive though." He was still wobbly but definitely much more steady than Gavin. He trusted himself to be able to drive. 

He was so grateful that they had the day off. Even if Fowler hadn't given them the day off he would have left. There was no way he'd be able to focus on anything other than Connor. 

_ "Pffft- he's got main character syndrome Hank. Of course he can't die." He felt so much less confident than that. However at the mention of clothes and stuff, Gavin thought of all the things he'd need to do before they got there. He wasn't about to let Hank in onto the info it wasn't Jericho that got called, but he did want to check in with them. Make sure Markus and them were fine. _

_ "Alright, your place first and then see if we can contact wherever they were staying for his things he took with him?" He offered, pulling out his phone. Reading the text he couldn't help but smile.  _

"That works. North and the others probably grabbed their stuff. Speaking of, I hope Markus is ok. I know him and Connor had become friends." Markus was definitely less injured than Connor but there still could be a chance.

"I hate that he almost died, but I'm so proud of him." Hank sighed. Connor did what he always did, he protected people he cared about. 

"Do you need anything to pick up from your place? We can stop there if you need." Hank suggested.

_ "We can call him when Connor's alright." Gavin definitely didn't have a way to talk to Markus and them. "Well yeah Anderson, you're his dad basically. You're always gonna hate when he gets injured." He finally felt like he could stand on his own and took a step away from Tina. _

_ "Alright- you two take it easy I need to go back to work. Thank you for the breakroom trash panda, but go get your shit and tell Connor I hope he feels better. Lieutenant, remind dumbass here to drink water and deep breaths." Tina moved away and Gavin grumbled at her before turning to Hank.  _

_ "I would like to get a change of clothes." He would absolutely stay at Eli's if it meant staying closer to Connor.  _

Hank nodded to Tina. He'd make sure Gavin was ok. Not only were he and Connor together… he was a fellow officer and he had changed. He changed just like Hank had. Connor might not have been the only factor, but he could guess that he had helped. 

"We can do that. We'll stop by yours first then head to mine. After that we can head to Jericho." He thought about what he'd get. There was no way he was leaving Connor alone so he'd have to get stuff for himself. 

_ "Wait- Jericho? Why Jericho?" It took him a minute of confusion and, ow his head, before it clicked. "Oh! He- He won't be at Jericho. I'll give you the uh address- address after we get all our shit together... Connor probably won't arrive for a couple of hours." He looked around before shaking his head, and grabbed his shit from his desk. _

_ Triple checking himself he listened to the whirr and the chatter of the building slowly recovering. There was still a worried tension, but it wasn't as bad as before. "Do you need anything to drink or eat? I know I know- not healthy, but a cheat day after all the shit that happened is fine." _

Hank frowned but nodded. He didn’t know why they’d go somewhere else, but he trusted Gavin. He knew that Connor could get some of the best care at Jericho. Why would they go anywhere else? There was only one other person that knew enough about Connor to help. Kamski. He looked at Gavin. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed their similarities. He chose not to talk about that here though, Gavin probably kept it a secret for a reason.

“I’ll grab some food at home, Connor makes sure there’s healthy snacks.” He’d still sometimes eat junk food, but honestly, Connor’s cooking was a lot better than most things. He’d never admit it though, but he really did enjoy when Connor cooked. He wanted to ask him to teach him how to cook. He could do simple stuff, but not much else. Connor really seemed to enjoy cooking, and teaching people things, so he thought it would be nice to put those two together. 

_ "Of course he does." The sentence in any other context would be said with annoyance and disgust, yet because it was Connor it was said with absolute warmth and a roll of his eyes. "Let's get going then before anyone finds out I did that and tries to talk to me because no- no thanks." His thumb wiggled to the breakroom and he moved towards the door, taking it easy. _

_ He swallowed again when he thought of moving out of the DPD. There was so much to do yet but he was leaving because Connor meant more than his job. Someone meant more than his job and that was terrifying. 'I love him.' He was about to ask who's car they were taking then shut his mouth, knowing the lieutenant would want to drive his own car. "You have a GPS or use your phone?" _

Hank was glad to leave the precinct, it felt too constrictive. “I’ve got my phone. Connor, he normally tells me where to go if I don’t already know.” Hank said. He got in the car and started it up, cranky up the heat. He rubbed his hands together, trying to get some warmth. 

He pulled out his phone once his hands were warm enough, “what’s the address?” Hank asks. 

_ Gavin appreciated the heat, hugging himself. He sure as fuck felt cold now, wearing just a thin thing for looks and quick runs between the car and the precinct. He gave the other his address, sitting on his hands after a moment. When they were warm enough, he placed them on his face, mumbling. "Put two pieces of bread on your face- now what are you? An idiot sandwich." Gordan Ramsey meme, Gavin trying to ease the tension. _

_ "Completely forgot I have like- one good jacket and everything else is this flimsy stuff. Resolution to buy a sweatshirt or something after all this." _

“Connor took your jacket… it’s probably a bit damaged now.” Hank pointed out. He pulled out and started towards Gavin’s house. He hadn’t had it on when they saw him get shot, so he assumed he either had to take it off or gave it to someone. The sight of Connor still burned into his mind. He knew he’d be ok, but seeing him like that hurt like hell. He’d give anything to never have to see him like that again. It felt odd having Gavin in his car, he hadn’t gotten along with him for a while. 

“Connor has his dog hoodie at the house if you want to borrow it, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.” On the contrary, he’d probably love it. He had to somehow discreetly get a picture of it if Connor didn’t get to see it. 

_ "I know I know- he probably- gave it to someone else to get them out. It's fine, it's just a piece of fabric at the end of the day." He shrugged, keeping to himself and watching out the window. His mind was starting to go blank and that was terrible for him, because then he could think to earlier and no- no no no- He'd rather have an awkward as fuck conversation than think anymore. _

_ "I might have to I really don't have anything heavy. You should get some pictures of Sumo too- he'll be super excited to see him after all this." He said, before thinking to all the hickies on his neck. He doubted Connor would mind. They got to Gavin's apartments quick enough. "You want to just wait down here and I'll run up for my stuff real quick?"  _

"Good idea, and sure. Take all the time you need alright? If you need me, just let me know." He felt odd, like he wanted to take care of Gavin too. He frowned at himself. He had only had this feeling with Connor and…Well, Cole. Before Cole had, well you know, he had often made sure the younger officers were taken care of. It had been instinctual, and he almost wanted to do it again. 

He sent a few photos that he already had of Sumo to Connor. 

Connor was in stasis, but still had his communications open. He felt his stress levels decrease at the images. He had also let Kamski know all the damages he had received so he could prepare. 

_ "Yeah- yeah thanks... Hank." If felt weird to call him just 'Hank'. Anderson, sure that was fine. Formal, acknowledgement he didn't hate the guy, he never did. Fuck he idolized the guy as a teen. Things changed and Gavin became a dick because it was the only way for him to climb. _

_ But now there was no where to climb. He needed his own big break- and that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. And he was fine with that, Detective was still fucking good! So now there was no reason to be an asshole 24/7, just that he was expected. He walked out, heading up and in. He made sure to feed the cats, and took a picture of Doa. He grabbed some vitamin chews, knowing he wouldn't be eating well, and then grabbed spare clothes. _

_ He was back down within twenty minutes, a bag of clothes and slipping into the car. "Mmkay. Your place right?"  _

_ Elijah went about repairing with the help of two blondes, moving about and some kind of Japanese music playing in the background as he called out everything he needed. It was a lot like a surgery room- except Elijah received his first guests in sweat pants and only sweatpants. His hair wasn't even pinned back til it was in his way. He expected Gavin to show up eventually and even had the rooms ready for him. Connor was a mess and some of the parts needed custom made again, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle.  _

Hank nodded and drove to his house. He didn't feel like making conversation so he just turned his music up. Once there and went to get out. "I'll be right back, and I'll grab the hoodie." 

He closed the car door and went in. He went to the fudge and pulled out something he had no idea the name of, and shoved it in his mouth. He pet Sumo and filled his food bowl. He also took a few pictures of him before going to Connor's room. It was still neat so it was easy to find the hoodie and things Connor might need. He didn't know when he'd be able to come back home. 

He went to his room and grabbed a bag and shoved some clothes in. If he could, he'd stay wherever Connor would and he'd check in on Sumo at least once a day. 

He walked out and got back into the car, throwing his bag into the backseat and handing over the hoodie. 

Connor pulled himself out of stasis when he knew he was at Kamski. He blinked his eyes open and tried to smile. "Kamski, it is good to see you again. Thank you for this." He said. He looked around the room curiously. He checked his location and knew he was at Kamski's house. He hoped he'd be able to see Gavin and Hank soon.

_ There was a small 'the fuck' look from Gavin at the music but it did calm him somewhat. "Alright- thanks thanks." He nodded, feeling extremely tired again. He looked over the message Tina had sent. 'Hey its tina dont kno if u remember me but im gavin's friend. you know connor right??? well he means a lot to gavin and he got really fucked up could you possibly help him out' _

_ He was going to beat Tina. You either told Elijah everything, or nothing. Vague details would make the man unbearable. But he sent a text to him as well, just letting him know him and Hank were coming over. Hank came back down and threw the bag into the backseat. Being handed the hoodie he didn't waste time to pull it on. It was a little bit big on Gavin, due to the fact Connor was taller than him. But he didn't mind, just enjoying the warmth. "Thanks- I guess it's about time to tell you- Connor's at Kamski's house. I can input the address if you need me to." _

_ "I'd say the same, but you look like Terminator, but after everyone tried to kill him three times over. I have so many questions, but it'd be best if you stay in stasis while I work on you." Elijah had him hooked up to so many things, and was currently working on a replacement arm.  _

Hank nodded, "yeah I figured. I know the way though, Connor and I payed him a visit before." He still wasn't sure what Kamski's motives were. 

Did he really want Connor to shoot the Chloe? If he had, what would he have told them? Maybe Kamski had wanted the androids to gain free will. He wouldn't put it past the man to at least attempt to do so. He also seemed like an ass, but that may just have been because he was pushing Connor. In the end it had shown Hank that Connor had empathy. 

He was glad that Kamski was the one fixing Connor. Connor would definitely be fine in his care, though the thought of staying at Kamski's house was a little odd. 

It would take at least 28 minutes to get there, more if traffic was a bitch. That meant 28 minutes of awkward conversation, or awkward silence. Silence also meant he would think about Connor. He turned the radio on and to the news, which, not surprisingly, was talking about the attack. 

"It has been confirmed that there were 15 deaths, all androids. We have also learned that the leader of the deviants, Markus, and Connor, the android who freed the others from Cyberlife's facility are being transferred back to Detroit to be repaired. It is unknown of the status. We learned that Connor had gotten Markus out, but then went back in and saved many human and android liv-" Hank switched it off. The public opinion on androids fluctuates a lot, but stayed mostly positive. 

"Any preference with music?" Hank asked, keeping his eyes on the road.

Connor nodded and returned to stasis. This time he let his mind go empty. He knows that he's safe here, so he didn't need to worry.

_ There was a sharp inhale of air between his teeth at the fact they knew each other. Elijah was- a lot extra. He could only imagine the kind of stunt Elijah pulled on a non-deviated Connor. _

_ Hearing the news was hard- all the deaths because of some anti-android group. It made him wish he was higher up, just so he could chase this group down and dismantle it. He was glad Markus was getting out and repaired as well, but his mind went to the rest of the Jericrew. He honestly respected Jericho, and was glad for it. _

_ It was switched off and Gavin let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding. "Hm? Oh- you uh- like hard rock or just that stuff from earlier?" He asked, before shrugging. "Your car your tunes. Honestly I'm phcking tired as hell. And warm." Gavin ate a couple of the gummy chews and laid his head against the cool glass.  _

Hank nodded and turned his music back on, but kept it low. "Sleep, you'll need your rest." Hank said. He was exhausted too, but more emotionally than anything else. He turned the heat down so it would still be comfortable, but not suffocating. As long as Connor was ok, he'd definitely crash the moment his head touched a bed. If Connor wasn't ok, well, he probably wouldn't sleep until he was. 

He'd also break down again once he was alone. He could still feel the sense of losing a kid, and it didn't help that that brought back memories. He knew he'd have to one day face them, but for now he just wanted to push those away. 

_ Gavin was every type of exhausted, so he was grabbing the sleep, hand disappearing in the jacket to pull out the fan and put it in the back of the hoodie instead. No one dared comment or maybe notice the coping mechanism, but it was definitely a new habit. The noise behind his ears so soft, almost completely drowned out by music, he was falling asleep really quick, arms crossed and breath short. _

Hank looked over at Gavin and smiled, though he'd never admit to it. He spent the rest of the drive quietly drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. Traffic wasn't the worst, but it did take a bit longer than he'd like to get there. 

He turned the car off and reached back to grab his back. He placed a hand on Gavin's shoulder and shook him gently. "Reed, wake up. We're here."

_ There was no jolt- Gavin's body was too tired to do so and it was too short a ride to actually dream. There was a mumble though, Gavin yawning and pulling on his bag in his lap. "Mmf. Phck. I don't wanna deal with my brother- he's going to be such a pain in the ass." He got out, looking to the house he hadn't entered in so long. The last talk they had was the night of the revolution, and that was panic filled 'so this part goes where' and 'yes I'm using spray seal it's all I have'. _

_ Shaking the thoughts away he waited for Hank and walked up to the door. He didn't even raise his hand, knowing a blonde would open it without them even say a word. Of course he wasn't let down, one in a pink dress opening the door when he got to it. "Hello Mr. Reed and Mr. Anderson! Follow me please!"  _

Hank followed her in. "Nice to see you again...or, fuck. I can't really tell the difference between all of you." Hank mumbled. "Call me Hank or Anderson, none of that Mr. bullshit." He knew he was cranky but he tried to get it out of his voice. He really wanted a drink. He didn't need to insult the people who were taking care of Connor. 

Even though he had figured it out, it was still odd to hear Gavin call Kamski his brother. Speaking of, he wondered why their last names where different. Maybe one of them changed theirs, and if so, which? That didn't really matter so he pushed it aside. He'd ask about that later.

_ The girl simply smiled sweetly to him. "You haven't met me yet- I just moved in yesterday!" She smiled brighter at that, and then lead them into the living room. "I was told to leave you two in here til Elijah and Chloe could pause their work and address you themselves. Mr. Reed-" _

_ "Please call me Gavin- sorry." Gavin was quiet yet, and it was obvious he was worried again. "Um- did they tell you anything-" _

_ "About Connor? No sorry, Chloe just informed me we would have guests." The girl went quiet, yellow LED for a moment and then she continued. "Elijah expects you to stay over night- all the guest rooms are set up if you two would like to head to those instead?" Gavin shook his head, looking to the couch and chairs.  _

_ "I'll just sit out here. If you dont mind…" _

Yeah, no way was he moving until he was told how Connor was doing. "I'll also stay." He gladly took a seat. He hoped it wouldn't take too long to get news. Waiting just made him more anxious than he already was. Connor could tell him the exact percentage of him coming out of this completely fine. 

He was glad the chair was comfortable as he sat. He could probably fall asleep in this chair if there wasn't a bed. But there was, and for that he was grateful. "Thank you." He said to Chloe. Wait… did they all go by Chloe? That would probably get confusing very fast. 

_ Gavin took a chair as well, and the girl gave a small smile to them, understanding they were both worried. "Gavin, I'll send Audrey out if you'd like?" Gavin perked at that, but then the reminder of Hank not knowing Gavin knew about deviants- _

_ "No no no, she's probably busy in the garden." _

_ "She's always in the garden- but alright! Chloe will be up whenever she gets some news." _

_ The girl hummed and disappeared. Gavin looked to Hank, and mouthed 'you good' to him, not knowing how he was reacting to all this. "If you want to pass out I can wake you- or uhm-" He looked around, before remembering to check the back of the couch for the remote and tossing it to him. "Elijah's as predictable as the weather sometimes." He settled back down and started to fiddle with the chain, moving it in his fingers. _

Hank nodded, "I'm good as long as Connor will be fine." He definitely wasn't going to sleep, so he turned the TV on. He avoided news stations and put in some house renovation show. Only Connor knew that these types of shows was a guilty pleasure for him. He'd ring Gavin's neck if he told anyone, but at this point he doubted that he would.

It took about another hour until the door opened again and a Chloe came out. 

"Connor is stable. If you'd like to see him, and talk to Elijah, please follow me." She said, smiling at the two. "It's good to see you Gavin." 

Hank looked between the two and shrugged. At this point not much could surprise him. He stood up and turned the TV off.

_ Gavin honestly wasn't paying attention, unable to talk. He was a bundle of raw nerves and pain. He just wanted to go to Connor, and push his stupid brother out of the way and hug him. But instead he pulled out the fan and held it in his hands, feeling the vibration of it. _

_ When Chloe came in, Gavin immediately stood, holding the fan in one hand tightly. 'Stable.' He felt his breath stutter in a relieved sigh. "Yes- please- please." He didn't care how weak he sounded anymore. He just wanted Connor to be safe. "It's really good to see you again- we can catch up later I just- we just- need to see him." He shoved the fan in his pocket. _

Chloe nodded and led them down a hallway. "Kamski and Connor are in here. Connor should be awake from stasis." She opened the door for them. 

Connor opened his eyes and heard the door open. He looked over and couldn't help but smile widely. Both Hank and Gavin had come to see him. He slowly sat up, making sure he wouldn't damage himself any more than he already was.

He had a new arm and heart. His skin was still slightly burned in a few places, but he would be fine. He probably didn't look the best, and only then realized he was only in underwear. His own blood covered some of his skin, once he was allowed he'd definitely need a shower. 

_ Elijah stood off to the side, still working on parts of his skin when the door opened again. Despite haven't not seen him in a while, he was still excited to see his little half-brother, and pulled away so Connor could move. "Sorry to keep everyone waiting, it's been a while since I've built from scratch." He wasn't even going to try to look regal. He was covered in blue blood to his elbows, and on his chest. _

_ Gavin went still, his heart falling right out of his damn chest. Connor was alive and well- well a relative term but he had his heart, oh his heart, and his arm. Even if he looked like he went through hell, he was infinitely better than the dark place his head went. He would've ran to him, but instead pat Hank on the back. "Go ahead and see your kid." He mumbled, and moved to Elijah. _

_ "Gavi! You overgrown pitbull bastard! How's my favorite little detective doing?" He held out his arms and Gavin raised an eyebrow at the blue blood. _

_ "No. Whatcha need help with." Elijah blinked, then nodded to the thirium drip. _

_ "Get more, also grab more gel for his skin, I'm still fixing it." Gavin moved without needing to think of it, looking for the gel to help out.  _

Hank smiled and rushed over to Connor. He pulled him into a hug as gently as he could. He really didn't give a shit about Connor being covered in blood, all he knew was that he wanted to hug his kid. 

"Hank, thank you for coming." Connor mumbled. He didn't realize how much he needed him emotionally until he was there. He slowly started crying. 

"I couldn't save all of them, I'm sorry." He whimpered thinking if the bodies. 

"Sh, you did great, kid. He saved so many people. Without you, so many more wouldn't have made it. I'm proud of you kid." Hank said, pulling him closer. Connor shook in his arms. 

Connor was so strong and it was almost scary to see him breakdown. He was glad that he could get it out, but it still broke his heart. 

When Connor moved back and grimaced at the blood now covering Hank. He also probably didn't look the best with the burns. 

"Gavin?" Connor said, wiping away tears. He was still crying but it wasn't too bad now.

_ Passing the gel over to Elijah, there was a moment they both waited for the two to separate. Elijah moved first, applying the gel to the skin. "Gav- can you run the protocol for self-healing-" Running off some numbers Gavin nodded, moving over to the computer. Hesitating as he looked through code he hadn't seen in over ten years, it did come back to him as the other called out. He wanted to go over and hold him close and tight til he couldn't feel the fear in his chest, but he knew Elijah needed to work. _

_ "One sec Con. Eli- which line should I be running- there's thr-" _

_ "Middle." _

_ "Mmm." Typing it out he watched the shift then moved away. _

_ "Thank you brat boy." _

_ Gavin rolled his eyes at his brother, before he moved away and came to Connor. He didn't want to interrupt them, so he just offered his hand, smiling to him. "Tina told me to tell you to get well soon- we all seen you on the news." He didn't know what to say, years of pushing everyone away gave him no idea how to deal with the heroics of this all. He was a man of action, not words, and he couldn't do anything.  _

Connor smiled at Gavin. "Sorry to have worried you, I couldn't just let everyone die when I could help." He made sure to keep still for Kamski, but gladly held Gavin's hand. 

He had noticed how efficient the two worked together. It was nice to see Gavin with family. 

"Thank you for doing this for me, Kamski." Connor said, turning to smile at him too. He really couldn't believe he hadn't figured their relation before. 

"Yeah, thanks." Hank said, he stayed by Connor's side. 

He let go of Gavin's hand to reach up and touch Gavin's cheek. He was so glad to be alive. Before he shut down all he wanted to do was see Hank and Gavin one more time, and his wish came true. Some humans believed in karma, maybe this was it.

_ "No I don't blame you, I would've tried to do the same to help out. We're both that brand of self-sacrificing stupid." He joked, squeezing his hand. "You did so well Connor." _

_ Elijah blinked, before grinning. "Hey- I can't turn family down, especially when they have so much to tell me- and anyways, to get to work on a one-of-a-kind model I didn't have a hand in- well, I'd be stupid to turn down the chance! Really- it's amazing what all they managed to outfit you with, you are truly a work of art." _

_ Gavin didn't know if Elijah was trying to be a shitlord, or was just being a geek. He didn't really care as the hand touched his cheek, tilting his head to press into it and both hands on top of his. Connor was alive, he was right here, talking. His hands shook just a bit and Gavin pressed a kiss into the other's palm. _

Connor hummed happily, and wiped away the last of his tears. He would definitely try to stay as close to Hank and Gavin as he could. It also made him think, he didn't want to not say things out of fear, so he'd tell Gavin that he loves him soon.

"Thank you Kamski. I don't think I got to express how grateful I am that you created androids. I do have a few questions if you don't mind, but we can talk about that later." Connor said. He had so many questions for his creator. It was actually incredibly nice to see him in such a human way though, interacting with Gavin. 

It was interesting to be called a piece of art. He often found that he preferred how humans looked. They had flaws and each were incredibly unique. Cyberlife had made him as human looking as possible, but he didn't think he'd ever look completely human, not that he wanted to. He was actually proud to be an android.

_ Even as Elijah walked over, fixing up another patch of skin, removing the broken and replacing it once again, Gavin held closer to Connor's hand, enjoying the touch and the confirmation Connor was alive. "Please, call me Elijah. And sure- I suppose you do have some questions after our last meeting, I can answer now that the media has buzzed off." _

_ He shrugged out of sight for Connor, then stepped back. "Alright, let's see all the skin overlay. Also run diagnostics and tell me if anything more feels odd. You will probably have a nano-second lag til you get used to the new arm, but given a couple days off with it- just do things around the house to work it out. Sort of like physical therapy, but more darts and hand motions." _

_ Gavin reluctantly pulled away, knowing Connor would need to hold his arms out so Eli could check the skin. Elijah moved close then stopped, looking to Gavin. There was a moment where it was just confusion, then Eli's eyes flicked to the outline of the fan, starting to run slower due to the battery running out. "Shuddup you overgrown trekkie," he mumbled, moving to get more thirium for Connor.  _

Connor nodded and closed his eyes. He definitely wasn't going to do a quick scan, he was going to take the fee seconds it took to make sure everything was right. He pulled back his synthetic skin completely before putting it all back on. He knew the few seconds without it would look very odd to Hank and Gavin. 

He then started to move his new arm. He could feel the delay but it was definitely better than he thought could have happened. 

"Connor," Hank called out. He opened his eyes and easily caught the coin Hank had tossed him. He smiled at Hank's before moving it around his hand. He did the trick he always used to do. 

"I seem to be working very well, thank you. I will still need to consume thirium for a few more days, just so I can heal completely, but other than that I am fully functioning." He said. 

"Is there any activities I should avoid... Elijah?" Connor asked. It was odd calling Kamski that, but he had told him too. 

He wasn't sure what he wasn't allowed to do. Hank would definitely give him a long list, but he'd focus more on what Kamski told him not to do.

_ "Well, in my professional opinion, really, don't go into work? I know every time I used to tell idiot here-" _

_ "Suck a fat one E." _

_ "Rude- every time I'd tell him to take a week off I'd hear he was back in the next day. Don't be a Gavin. You shouldn't be handling a gun until you complete two stasis cycles and your body fully heals this time. I would also like to keep you here for a night- in a room of course- in case anything locks up and needs repaired. And I'd avoid heat as well- if you cook or anything, wear protective things like oven mitts and the likes." _

_ He hummed, and then Gavin held out another bottle of thirium to Connor. "Otherwise, just pay attention to your own warnings and make sure you don't stress yourself out. And yes, thirium, lots of thirium. I can provide you the bottles myself." Elijah turned on Gavin, clapping his hands together. "You." _

_ "Me." _

_ "Since I haven't seen you in so long, and it took someone else to get you to come over, you're trapped now. I want to talk, brother dearest." The last two words were chiding almost, and Gavin sighed. _

_ "Yeah yeah- your office? Just give me a second with Connor?" He really wanted a hug- contact- anything.  _

Connor briefly wondered if… well, sex was one of the things he wasn't allowed to do. He really didn't want to ask in front of Hank though. He didn't want to die of embarrassment after almost dying from a gunshot wound. 

He put the coin in his pocket and glanced at Hank. 

"Don't suppose you have uh, a bea-" Hank cut himself off at the glare Connor gave him. "Drink of water?" He turned to Kamski. He definitely didn't need to see Connor and Reed get mushy. No way in hell, he'd already seen enough. 

_ Elijah looked to the two, noticing the way Connor seemed to correct his actions and chuckled. "Drink of water- yes. Chloe my beloved, please show the lieutenant to his room, and let him know where the kitchen is. I have some iced tea in the fridge and soda elsewhere- might be in the fridge or might be in the pantry yet I don't know, I'd check both." _

_ He turned to Gavin. "I'm sure you know where to lead him. Cute hoodie by the way- I expect to see you before you try to hide away." He hummed, head tilting up then walking to the stairs.  _

_ Gavin sighed, not looking forward to the entirety of their conversation. But it was worth it, Gavin turning to Connor and smiling a bit before he just sat on the bed next to the other. He of course was going to wait for Hank to leave, not wanting to make the man suffer. _

Hank gladly left as soon as he could, grumbling to himself. Connor only listened to it for a second before tuning it out. It was something about alcohol.

He hadn't noticed the hoodie before Kamski spoke about it and couldn't help but blush slightly. He would admit that he very much liked Gavin in his clothes. 

When Gavin sat down beside him, he took his hand, and leaned over to just rest his head on his shoulder. 

"I'm so glad I'm still alive." He mumbled, closing his eyes for a second. "I thought I wouldn't get to see you again… and this still much I want to experience."

_ Everyone gone, Gavin felt so much of his bravado leave. He melted into Connor, squeezing his hand for dear life and kissing the top of his head. "I was- so afraid when I saw the news. I- I won't lie about that. I was so afraid I lost the best person in my life and I- I'm so happy you're alive Con." His shoulders shook and he bit the inside of his cheek to keep from tearing up. _

_ "I thought I lost you and phck, I never- I never knew how much that would hurt. I didn't know you had my whole heart with you in DC and phck, there's such a selfish part of me that wishes that I got you to stay, even if I am so, so proud of you and amazed with all you did." _

Connor could feel himself tearing up. He sat up and turned to Gavin, holding his face with both hands. "I thought about you before… before I shut down. I was terrified. I'd never felt that scared before. Sure I've felt fear but this was different. I knew you'd see it and I think it made it that much more terrifying." He was definitely crying now. He felt so exposed talking about it, but it felt good too. He knew keeping it bottled up was incredibly bad for one's mental health. 

"I want to say something, but it could be too soon. I don't want to not say it though." He felt his stress levels elevate. He would keep track and make sure it didn't get too high.

_ "I wish I could've been there for you Connor, but I'm here now and- and I'm not- I won't- I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you. You are here and holy phck you almost weren't." Gavin wrapped his arms around Connor's neck and tugged him close, laying his head against the other's chest.  _

_ Hearing his hesitation, he felt the way his heart seized for a moment. 'Don't let him go again-' repeated in his head, and he moved back to look Connor in the eyes. "Then let me say it- even if it's too soon. I realized it when you got shot- when everything felt like it was closing in- I lost the guy I loved without getting to tell him that and Connor I'm- I'm so sorry this isn't some romantic confession and I know it's been- what a week? I'm an idiot romantic that's fallen for you and phck." The last curse was said brokenly- Gavin hugging the other again. _

_ "You have Hank and the rest of the DPD to worry about, but please, please let someone worry about you Con." _

He couldn't help the sob that made his whole body shiver. "I love you. I didn't know I was actually capable of this kind of love, but I am, and I'm so glad I'm in love with you." Connor pulled back from the hug to kiss Gavin. He loved him too! Gavin loves him, and he loves Gavin. 

If you told him he'd love Gavin, and Gavin would love him after first coming the the DPD he'd definitely wouldn't believe it. But here they are. 

He really didn't care if this wasn't the typical romantic way to say I love you, but it fit them. They would both definitely get hurt again, but he knew that they'd be there for each other. 

_ There was a way he sagged at hearing it returned, and Gavin melted into the kiss, moving his hands to wipe at the other's tears. He definitely couldn't kiss the other for long, too breathless to manage it, but he was smiling when he pulled back. "Love you too Con- so so fucking much." _

_ Gavin pressed smaller kisses to his lips before just laying his head over the other's 'heart', so fucking relieved to hear the real thing. A fan was close but it wasn't exact. Speaking of- he quickly moved back, taking the fan out of his pocket and putting it aside. "I got- really scared and ran from the DPD, and this guy- helped me calm down and I realized the little cooling fans he was working on- reminded me of you kinda. It was calming." _

Connor couldn't help but chuckle, it was just too cute. "That's adorable. I might overload from cuteness with you in my hoodie." He said. He placed kisses all around Gavin's face. 

"I love you so much." He mumbled between kisses. He could feel Gavin's heartbeat in his hands, a benefit of being an incredibly high-tech android. He kept a hand on Gavin's cheek while the other held his hip. He wanted to shower Gavin in so much affection that he got sick of it. 

_ "Good you'd need the fucking break." He mumbled, smiling yet and laughing softly at all the kisses. "Love you too, with everything I got Connor- I love you." It felt so strange to say those words, but he was glad, thumbs rubbing into skin and feeling the warmth in his hands. He couldn't feel heartbeat or anything, but just feeling the warmth was so much better than the ice in his veins hours earlier.  _

_ He would've kept melting in the other's hands if he didn't look down, remembering Connor need to rest and not get worked up. "Come on, let's get you to lay down. Hank- I'm absolutely snitching on him and he'll pay me back for this, but holy shit he was so worried for you too. I wouldn't blame him if he suckered Chloe into giving him apple cider or something- if Eli still drinks that that is." Despite this, he didn't move an inch, still holding onto Connor's face. _

"He does worry a lot. I'm trying to find him a hobby that is calming." Connor said. He had tried many different ones but none of which Hank liked. Hank had said drinking calmed him down, but Connor quickly shot that down with how dangerous excessive amounts of alcohol is. 

"I, I don't really want to let you go though." Connor said. He did want to lay down, he was mentally exhausted, but if that required letting Gavin go, then no one would be able to make him. 

_ "I'd offer but- to be completely honest, we have way different hobbies." He chuckled, though they both had drinking and questionable life choices in common, there wasn't much else he could offer for that. "You'll find something. You should try puppy fostering- or maybe even have him be a K-9 trainer." Hank liked dogs, that's about all he could think of. _

_ At the comment he chuckled, and then burst out into a laugh. "I'd offer to carry you, but even if I do workout, you're a bit too built for me to carry up the steps." He pecked the other's lips. "We can stay down here for a bit then." _

He couldn't help but think of the options Gavin suggested. He'd definitely be interested in fostering puppies. Both him, and Hank would adore them, and dogs were very therapeutic. He'd definitely bring up the idea to Hank. 

"I can walk." Connor pointed out. He moved his legs around, showing Gavin they worked. "Other than a few minor burns, my legs were undamaged. Most of my injuries were abdomen and up." 

_ "You can walk, but unless I cling to you like an overgrown koala, you'd have to let go of me- no you are not carrying me while you're recovering holy shit. Eli might be a twink but he knows karate I ain't getting my ass kicked again." He shook his head to the idea. "He would absolutely merc' me for letting you carry me." He smiled to him and couldn't help but place his hand over the other's heart. _

_ "I'm buying you a personal kevlar Connor- if you're gonna be a hero, which I know damn well won't ever stop- you'll at least be a hero than can take a bullet safely." He was absolutely serious- tomorrow even, as soon as he was done with their case he would go about ordering the other a vest. _

_ "Come on though, let's get upstairs so you can rest. I'll stay with you until you enter stasis, and if Hank doesn't have a fit, I'll try to sneak in so you won't be alone." _

He'd never worn a vest before. Before the revolution, he was just a machine that could be replaced. He really should be wearing them though. 

"I'm not a hero, I just did my duty." He knew of the stories of superheroes that humans had made up. He guessed he had some similar qualities but he wouldn't classify himself as one. 

"And if Hank has a problem, I can just remind him I got shot and almost died." He shrugged. He stood up carefully, and took Gavin's hand. 

_ "Pfft- no- Connor you absolutely are a hero. You were there to protect Jericho. Lesser men would've done that and walked away. You didn't- you went back in and kept saving people. Yeah you don't- have superpowers- well actually you kinda do but anyways- You aren't Superman or Green Lantern- but you're my hero- my Iron Man- and a hell of a lot of others too."  _

_ Gavin moved, grabbing his jaw and making him meet his eyes. "It doesn't matter if it's your duty or not. You did far and beyond that because you wanted to Connor. That- that's what makes you a hero." _

_ Standing up with him, he didn't waste time to press into his side. "Want me to wrap my arm around you?" _

Connor tried to push the blush down, but it was too strong. His face must be completely blue. 

He new that he barely had to think, he just did what felt right. What he didn't know was if that was because of his programming, or actually him. He'd never be able to actually tell the difference. 

"Definitely." Connor answered Gavin's question. He wrapped an arm around Gavin's waist, holding only tight, but definitely not tight enough to leave a bruise. He definitely needed to ask Kamski, privately if sex was something he was allowed to do, and if not, how soon he could. 

_ There was a happy rumble at the hold, Gavin's arm wrapping around Connor's side and keeping him close. "Love you," he mumbled again, getting the door and helping him up the steps. There were a couple of blonde girls walking about- most looking like Chloe but some already took scissors to their hair, and wore something other than blue. _

_ "Now- if I lay down with you, will I be able to get up again or will you be trapping me? I still gotta talk to shithead, but he can wait til after you get to sleep." He knew it wasn't sleep, but it was easier to say that. "If you need to ask him anything- I can have him message you too?" _

Connor smiled at the Chloes as they passed. Many smiled back and said a quick hello. "Love you too." Connor said to Gavin.

"I promise not to trap you in bed," Connor said with a chuckle, "at least, not without your consent." He kept his voice lower on the last part. 

"I do have one question about my recovery that I need to ask… I couldn't ask in front of Hank." He hoped Gavin understands what he means. It would probably be too awkward for Gavin to ask Kamski since they are brothers. He knew it would be just as awkward if Connor were to ask Hank. 

_ There was a brief swallow to the way Connor's voice lowered, and he grumbled and hid his face in the other's shoulder for a moment. "Behave." Ironic coming from Gavin, he knew, but there was still a smile on his face. _

_ "Mmm alright, I'll make sure he messages you for anymore questions. And hopefully he keeps it to only- your questions... I uh- may or may not have been dodging him since the revolution." He didn't want to get into that, and was relieved to come onto a room. "Alright bed for you. Do you need anything else babe- want Hank to come in or just- anything?" Gavin was going to fucking pamper Connor. He already had plans to ask Chloe about what he could do to pamper his boyfriend. _

The room was incredibly nice, and more homey than Connor expected. It had large windows letting in light, and a bookshelf in one wall. The bed was massive too. 

He sat down and smiled at Gavin. He couldn't get over how sweet and adorable he is. "I'll be fine. If Hank wants to come watch over me he can. I'll do a deep stasis, so it may be harder to wake me up." He only did a stasis like this if he had to sleep for a long time, or if he had been majorly injured. 

He scanned the room and his eyes landed on the small drawer beside the bed. He slid it open, and smiled. Inside was thirium, and other things he could need. He somehow knew Kamski kept a small supply in each bedroom, just in case.

_ Gavin watched the other look around and move, the whole room reminding him he needed to clean out his own spare room. "I don't plan on waking you up anytime soon. I can leave now for Eli's though- so you can talk to him before you head into stasis? Also, if you're looking for clothes, Hank might have packed some for you- I can go grab them? Normally the girls use these rooms- so I doubt you find anything that'll fit you." He moved to the bed, waiting for the other to come lay down. _

_ "Can also get you something to drink- I'm sure Chloe or someone has something thirium based you can drink to switch things up." He had to have the worst taste in his mouth right now, then again- he knew the other tended to lick anything. _

He couldn't help but think of himself in the clothes the Chloe's wore. He was very confident in his masculinity, and wondered if he would look good in a dress. 

"I'll be fine for now, thank you though. Once Hank knows where I'm sleepy he'll at least drop my clothes off." He'd send Hank a text telling him where he was if Hank didn't ask someone first. 

"Once I have his information, I can send Kamski a message. If you'd like to stay longer, you can." He moved to get under the covers. For a bit he didn't use any blankets, but he had found that they were calming and felt nice. It didn't surprise him that the sheets were of high quality and incredibly soft. 

It felt nice to be looked after. Normally he would look after Hank, which he enjoyed, and Hank would worry about him. This was different though. He could probably ask for the most obscure thing, and Gavin would try to get it. It made his heart flutter.

_ "Of course I'd like to stay longer, but family calls." He laughed softly, starting to catch himself sounding tired. He simply knelt beside the bed and folded his arms on the edge, laying his head in them. He wasn't leaving til the other was safely in stasis, and not- dead or on a table being repaired. Anything but that. _

_ "I'll make sure you have it soon. Get to sleep Con. I'll be here when you wake up." For how long, he didn't know. He was going back into work, far too aware of the fact that his suspects were sitting and holding and nearing the time they would be turned over without interrogation. He couldn't let that happen, he needed to know who all else had been killed. Put families and friends, and his own soul, at ease. _

Connor could tell Gavin's stress levels went up, but he assumed it was because of what had happened today. He got a notification and smiled, his LED turning yellow for only a second. 

"Just got news, Markus and the others are safe at Jericho, and Markus is being taken care of. He'll be fine." He was slightly disappointed in himself. Markus still had gotten hurt even when he was there to protect him. 

He pulled the covers up and completely laid down on his back. He could feel his processors starting to slow down in preparation for going into stasis.

"Family is very important. If you need me though, please wake me up." He didn't want to be asleep if something went wrong and Gavin needed him. He had to go into stasis though.

_ "Oh that's a relief. Uhm- let him know the DPD wishes swift recovery to him and his crew." He knew the other was blaming himself that Markus got hurt, simply because he'd do the same, and leaned over to kiss his LED. "He's fine cause you saved him, remember that babe. You did so good, now rest alright?" _

_ His hand rested on the other's chest, and he nodded to the request. "I will I will. See you in the morning Connor." One more kiss, and he went back to resting, watching for signs the other slipped into stasis. _

Connor nodded. Markus is alive. He's alive because Connor was there. He keeps reminding himself of the fact.

"I love you." Connor mumbles. He feels his eyes start to close and he lets out a yawn. He doesn't need to yawn but the people at Cyberlife wanted to him to seem as human as possible. 

He let his eyes close the rest of the way, and his body enter stasis. 

``Deep Stasis activated. Estimated awakening: 8:30 am``

_ "Love you too Connor. So much." He couldn't help but yawn back, cursing the psychological reaction to doing so. Soon the other was asleep though, and he pressed one more gentle kissed to his forehead before getting up. _

_ He walked out, making sure to find the other closed door. He was raised with manners, and even if he let them go as of late, it was still in his bones, knocking on the door lightly. "Anderson- you awake? Need anything?" He asked, waiting for a moment before not hearing a response. _

_ No more ways to stall, he headed into Elijah's study, knocking twice and then entering. Of course he had Elijah message Connor, but the talk they held went for hours, both eventually drinking together before Elijah and him walked out. Elijah punched him in the arm, grinning. "You'll get one?" _

_ "Yes I'll get an inhaler. And yes I'll call you more often." _

_ "And visit?" _

_ "Maybe. But now I need to shower and sleep. I'm going back into work tomorrow after I make sure Connor is fine." _

_ "Does he- know? You made it sound like you don't talk about shit, not surprising cause it's you, but you should at least let him know you passed out and everything." _

_ "And worry him more? Naw." _

_ "You never know! He might find it endearing you went into full panic over him." _

_ "Uh huh. Not everyone is you. Talk to you before I leave." _

_ "You fucking better bitchboy." _

_ Gavin laughed at that, and quickly went to shower, finding his clothes and then the bathroom attached to Connor's room. He showered quickly and just left himself in his boxers as he set his clothes for tomorrow ontop of the dresser. He knew full well Hank might see them like this, but he couldn't care, sliding into the bed beside Connor and setting his alarm to go off at 7am. _

Once Hank had settled in he decided to look around, with a Chloe, of course. The house was pretty big and nice… in all honesty he wasn't paying much attention to the house. His mind kept going back to seeing Connor in TV like that, knowing he couldn't help. He remembered seeing Connor lead the group of androids in Detroit. He felt such pride, but also fear. He hoped that this would show everyone that androids have emotions. When he saw the footage of Connor standing behind Markus, he almost cried (he'd deny that fact until he died). 

Chloe (who had kept her name as such) seemed to understand and mostly just walked with him. She asked questions about Connor, and what their life is like. Turns out, she was the Chloe that Connor almost shot. 

"He should be the one to tell you, but he's really sorry about almost killing you." He knew Connor would definitely look for her to apologise himself. 

"Oh, it's fine. Elijah has us back up our memories, so even if I did get shot, I'd be fine." Chloe shrugged. "Sure I was a bit nervous, but something told me he wouldn't do it."

Hank hummed and nodded. "Well, thanks for the tour. I'm gonna go check on Connor and drop his stuff off." He went to his room to grab Connor's things before finding Connor. 

He opened the door quietly and peaked in. There were two people in the bed, one obviously Connor from the way he laid completely still on his back, and the other Gavin. 

He felt his heart melt. He was so happy that Connor was this, well, happy. He had already been happy before, but he could see that Gavin made him even more so. He would gag and glare but he was actually so proud. At first he was unsure, but Gavin had changed, just like he did. 

He placed the stuff down at the foot of the bed and walked out, closing the door as softly as he could. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Normal  
> Lupo: Italicized  
> Text message: Underlined

_ Morning was a bitch. His body was sore, not having exercised and also the tenseness he had during his episode. He almost debated taking a long, long bath in the tub before he decided the hassle was just not worth it. Instead he melted into the soft sheets- nestling his head on Connor's chest. He made sure to message Fowler he'd be in around noon to finish the interrogations, and then left the phone on the bedstand. Noon gave him plenty of time to dote on Connor and make sure him and Hank got home safely. _

_ Speaking of doting on the other, he couldn't help but rub circles over the other's hand once he found it, partially soothing himself but mostly trying to stay awake so he wouldn't let Connor wake up alone. _

``Stasis deactivating, full awareness in 30 seconds…``

He became aware of his surroundings slowly. He could feel a warm body against him, and easily knew it was Gavin. He opened his eyes and looked over, smiling. 

``Thirium required``

He told his system to fuck off in his head. He wasn't gonna move right now. His body felt odd, but that was probably from getting burned. He cringed at the memory of the smell of his burning skin. 

"Morning." His voice was gruff, he definitely needed thirium. He checked his internal clock, 8 am. Earlier than what was predicted, but he didn't mind. He had noticed that a deep stasis often left him almost foggy brained for at least thirty minutes after wakey. He supposed this was probably similar to what humans experience. It also would lower his stress level quite a bit. 

_ "Morning Con." Gavin didn't expect that voice, but he couldn't help but find it amusing. He was of course the first to get up, seeing Connor waking up actually putting him at ease. Fuck all the soreness, he was happy as hell just to hear the other's voice. He stretched, feeling something pop, and then got out of bed, moving to the drawer's to get out a bottle of thirium for the other. _

_ "Want me to warm this up or cool it off?" He offered, moving back over to Connor and now sitting on the edge of the bed. "You have such a cute smile you know that?" Really he was never going to have a filter in the mornings. Great part about being known as The Bitchtm, people didn't approach you before 10am. _

Connor felt his face flush at the compliment. "Uh, I can, um, the thirium, I can drink it like that. I don't mind." He said, fumbling over his words. He felt himself flush even more. He was the most advanced android and he was left stuttering over words. It did make him seem more human, though. 

He gently took the bottle and opened it. He chugged it down quickly and wiped at his mouth. He'd need more throughout the day, but for now, one bottle was sufficient. 

How Gavin made him melt with such few words was beyond him. "I love you," He couldn't help but say. He wanted to tell him every second he could. 

_ 'Win!' He loved making the other stumble over himself, even if he didn't mean to. "Don't short-circuit on me now Connor- I'd actually cry." He teased, and then took the empty bottle and threw it away for him. Moving slowly, he laid back down beside Connor, knowing he needed to get up but it could wait. _

_ "I love you too, but we gotta get up soon ya know." He pressed a kiss into the other's cheek, and tangled their fingers together, just enjoying the closeness while he could. "By the way, Eli did message you. We were up pretty late last night." Reminder- he needed to brush his teeth. His mouth felt gross- maybe he could borrow mouth was from Eli. _

Connor nodded and checked. 

I do have a question about my recovery. Can I have sex?

He felt himself blush. He knew it was important to ask, but that didn't make it any less awkward. 

He rolled over and straddle Gavin, pressing gentle kisses around his face before kissing him on the lips. He held Gavin's hands down gently onto the bed with one hand. He used the other to cup his cheek. He could feel his internal heat rising so he broke the kiss to breathe in air. 

_ Surprisingly, there was a response quickly, and it seemed as if Elijah wasn't expecting that. _

_ It's 8 in the morning and I don't have a salad but I have cereal. I don't see why you can't- don't be like- trying to one-arm carry anyone- but remember Hank is what- two doors down and these walls hide nothing, trust me. _

_ Gavin really should've questioned the blush, but figured out what the question was a bit too late. Not that he was complaining, rumbling happily at the kisses and quickly kissing back. He should've gotten up and brushed his teeth and everything, but as his arms were pinned down he found his head become fuzzy. "Connor." His name was a soft whisper when they parted to breath and he was trying real hard to not let blood run south right now. _

_ Really this was not the place, he was all too aware how vocal he would become right now. While he doubted Elijah would care- he knew Hank was due through the door at any moment and he was going to work- he had to. _

I apologize for the early message, and thank you for the warning.

He kissed him again, this time deeply before pulling away, but still sitting on Gavin. "I am allowed to have sex, though we should probably do this at your place." He took in deep breaths until his internal heat was at the correct temperature. 

"Speaking of, do you have anything to do today?" He knew Hank would most likely stay home to look after him if Gavin didn't. He didn't really need to be looked after constantly, but if he was being honest, he really didn't want to be left alone.

_ There was a moment Gavin may not have cared, kissing back passionately, trying to express himself but the other was pulling away, far too quick. "Might be- might be the best idea. Pretty house but terrible soundproofing." He joked, panting a couple times til he could will the want away. _

_ However the question was enough to do it, and if Connor hadn't pinned his hands, they would've fidgeted at it. "I- Hank has off with you, for a couple days. I figured you and him would want to do some shit with Sumo together- I- I didn't wrap up the case yet." His eyes fell to where the bullet wound was originally, swallowing hard.  _

_ "I still need to go in and interrogate those bastards from the club- find out a couple things and finish that up. I was planning to leave around noon- after I made sure you were alright and with Hank." _

He could tell Gavin was more nervous just by his speech pattern. He wasn't lying but he was definitely holding something back. "Are you alright?" He asked. He wouldn't push if Gavin told him not too, but he worried. 

If Gavin was worried about seeing the people from the crime then he'd go in with him, no matter what anyone else said. 

He did want to see Sumo, probably take him to the park if Hank let him out of the house. He'd need to take it easy though, so he'd mostly watch the TV with Hank. Maybe he could bake some bread too. He really enjoyed the smell of it, and Hank always seemed to brighten up some when he made it. 

He pulled his thoughts away from bread and focused on Gavin. He loosened his grip on Gavin's hands but still still kept a tiny but of pressure, just barely holding them. 

_ "I am I am- I... I feel bad that I'm leaving, even though you'll be fine with Hank. I didn't get- anything done yesterday- and if I don't head in- they go to trial and-" They wouldn't know who all was killed. They wouldn't know how many bodies passed through that crawlspace. He owed it to the people he couldn't save to remember them. _

_ "I'll be fine I just- really do feel like shit for leaving you today. If it wasn't- time sensitive, I'd stay with you all day and pamper you, properly make you feel as loved as you are because you are- so- so loved." He looked back up to him, noticing the way his hands loosened up. _

_ He didn't try moving them now though, simply fidgeting with the blankets themselves. He didn't want to leave Connor, afraid of doing so despite the rational side of him saying Connor was fine. But the thought of failing everyone was terrible too. "If you need me to stay, of course I will- I always will." _

Connor hummed. There was still something but if Gavin didn't want to tell him he'd let it go. 

"I know I am. If you need to go in, I'll be fine. Hank will stay with me. Then, after, we can spend more time together." He leaned down to kiss Gavin's cheek. 

"I won't do anything too strenuous today, I promise. You can message me whenever you want." He used his free hand to run through Gavin's hair.

_ "Promise we'll spend time together Con." He smiled at the kiss to his cheek, head turning to soft mush at how sweet the other was. "You better not- I'll make sure to call and let you know when I'm finished up. If you need anything though, call me as well." _

_ He tilted his head towards the pets but then could hear the chit-chat of various others waking up. The girls of course, but still. "As pretty as you are above me, might be best if I got up and got dressed before anyone checks in." He didn't stop from looking over the other, biting the inside of his cheek gently at his hips and quickly snapping his eyes back up. _

Connor smiled and tilted his head just slightly. "We will definitely have to do this soon, if you want." 

He moved off of Gavin and looked around. There was a bag on the ground that he assumed Hank had left. He went through it and found fresh clothes. He pulled all of his clothes off and checked over himself in the full length mirror. 

He had a few marks left over, but most would disappear after a day or two. There will be a few new scars. The ones he had a feeling would scar were on his chest, one on his arm, and maybe one on his jaw onto his cheek. He didn't really mind. Some humans found scars… ugly or frightening. He doubted Gavin felt that way. 

He looked over the clothes Hank had brought. It was a light blue button down shirt and jeans. He also had his spare shoes and a pair of socks.

_ "Of course I do." He got up and went for his own clothes, pulling on some darker jeans and a simple grey t-shirt. He also reached for the sweater, looking over to Connor. "Mind if I wear this again til I can go clothes shopping?" He definitely noticed the scars, and planned to kiss each and every one of them when he could. Honestly, Connor was still just as handsome with scars as he was without. _

_ He moved to Connor's side, hand not holding onto the sweater reaching to Connor's shoulder. "Some day Con, me and you gotta go clothes shopping. Maybe get one of those dorky matching shirts- 'I'm with the idiot' and 'the idiot'." He snickered, knowing Hank would get a kick out of that at least. _

"Of course you can." He pulls on the clothes, smoothing them down to not be so wrinkled. He watches Gavin in the mirror. 

"I would enjoy that. Hank has bought me clothes before, such as the hoodie. I ordered myself clothes, but all of the same style. Humans all have their own styles they like to wear, and I'm not sure what mine is." He also knew that they could have more than one preference for styles. Hank was mostly the same, and he hadn't gotten to see much of anyone else's who works at the precinct. 

He had been offered to go for drinks with other officers but only a few examples of their style wouldn't be enough to know their preferred clothing choices. 

The idea of getting matching clothing was… appealing. He had looked up information on dating as it wasn't really part of his original programming. He understood it, but didn't know what it was like to be in one. He already knew he liked it very much.

_ Carefully pulling it on, he did feel pretty comfortable in the hoodie, enjoying the way it wasn't so showy. "Nothing like walking through the mall to figure that out- we can head to the mall and then maybe some other stores- if you can think of anywhere you'd like to go specifically let me know?" He offered, then looked over, smiling at the way he tried to smooth the wrinkles out.  _

_ "You always look- so professional. Maybe looking around would be good to inspire some more choices- not that you don't look damn good in this too." He chuckled, and then held his arms out, wanting another hug before they left the room. "Promise to give the hoodie back tonight though." _

Connor turned and pulled Gavin into a hug. He knew he'd never get tired of feeling Gavin's heartbeat and breathing. "You can keep it as long as you need. I am sorry about your jacket. I'm sure I can find an identical one for you." 

"If I think of a store, I will let you know. As for my appearance, I was only designed to wear my Cyberlife uniform. These were the closest to it, so I assumed it would be appropriate. I have been given a police uniform to wear." He knew that most didn't wear them into the office, and it wasn't often detectives wore them, but Fowler had given him one anyway. He had assumed it was to make him feel more welcome. 

He had enjoyed Markus's long coat, and wearing the beanie. Of course he only wore the beanie to fit in...and to easily get to Markus. He still wasn't sure how he had trusted him so quickly. 

_ "Pfft- don't worry about it Connor. If it helped out, then I'm happy it went with you." He snuggled against the other's chest, trying to keep from wrinkling his shirt but finding the spot to hear the other. "Psshhh- designed to wear- listen listen. I wasn't 'designed to wear' heels but you'll still find my gay ass in them. Find what you like, don't you dare let anyone tell you not to wear it." _

_ Gavin wasn't a firm believer in clothes having set 'genders' to wear. That being said, he wasn't much into wearing skirts and dresses himself- though the long shirts and tiny tiny shorts? That was fun. He shook the thought away, reminding himself that the next time he could surprise Connor, he'd pull something out. _

_ "Alright alright- I need to pull away- I'd spend hours with you like this if I could." He sighed, knowing he was stalling. He bet it was about time to leave- he'd have to get a coffee at the precinct. "Let's get going downstairs." _

Connor nodded and pulled back. Just then a knock on the door. Connor walked over and opened it, smiling when he saw it was a Chloe. 

"Good morning Connor. Kamski wanted to make sure you were doing alright. He also wanted me to tell Anderson and Gavin that there is breakfast. Elijah told me Gavin would be with you." Chloe said. 

"Thank you, I'll wake up Hank if you haven't." The Chloe nods and Connor turns back to Gavin. 

"Were you planning on going back to our place before the precinct?" Connor asks. "And I have found that everyone looks good in heels. I would also be interested in seeing myself in a dress." 

_ Chloe, a godess, a relief bringing to his fraying self-control to not just say 'fuck the world' and hug Connor til he passes out again. "Morning miss." He greets, sure it's not the Chloe, who would obviously know exactly where Gavin would be. But there was too many he barely talked to to try and remember all of their names. _

_ At the question, he shook his head. "Made sure the cats had food and water when I got clothes. I might stop at the house before I come over to see you again but- I just want to get there and get this taken care of." _

_ Gavin tried to imagine the other in a dress, and honestly, he thought Connor was really graceful. He could pull it off. "We'll have to find some that you like. And if anyone gives you any fucking looks, I'll fight 'em." He said, huffing and already protective just at the thought of someone saying shit to Connor. _

"Thank you, and if you don't scare them off I can easily threaten them. I have found that though it has gotten better, stigma around clothing choices still exist. I would also love to learn how to do makeup." After he saw Gavin put eyeliner on he wanted to learn. He wanted to learn the human way though, even if that meant it would take years. 

He knew that he'd definitely have an advantage as his hands don't shake like some humans do. He knew that Markus had kept up painting and tried to get others at Jericho to try out different art types. Quite a few had found things they really enjoyed. 

"Connor, the other Chloe's and I have our own breakfast if you would like some. It will not affect you in any way, though it does have a good amount of thirium. We weren't sure what foods you have been able to try, and like, so we made many different foods." Chloe says. Connor looks at her with wide eyes. He wasn't surprised that Kamski had already made food for androids. He was just really excited to be able to actually eat breakfast with Hank. 

"Thank you! I'll definitely have some." He looked back at Gavin with a wide smile, and grabbed his hand, pulling him out the door. 

_ "Oh it's definitely still a thing. But like I said- I don't put up with that shit. I'll fight any-fucking-body bout it." He pouted, but then at mention of makeup Gavin did cheer up a bit. "Oh! Phck yeah! Blue is your color- also-" He reached up, hand brushing Connor's cheeks. "Lip liner and eyeliner- dude you'd have such an intense and beautiful look. I would love to teach you- you'd probably never waver with your lines." _

_ Gavin knew- a lot more about makeup then most. From contouring to make himself look softer or rougher, and trick scanners, to just general color matching with skin tones. Realizing he was a bit too eager he looked away, smiling sheepishly as Chloe continued. Right- audience. However, at the question, Gavin couldn't help but be curious. He was going to have to ask Chloe about that. _

_ He didn't mind being tugged out the door, instead holding Connor's hand tighter so they wouldn't separate. Not yet. "Wake up Hank first?" He offered, making sure that the other didn't forget about him and feel bad later.  _

"Right!" Connor placed a quick kiss to Gavin's cheek. "I'd love for you to teach me." Gavin seemed to know quite a lot about makeup, so he was definitely excited to learn. He's probably going to mess up quite a lot, but he hoped he could one day do Gavin's makeup. 

He went down to Hank's room, holding onto Gavin's just as tight. He knocked on the door and opened it, sticking his head in. 

"Hank? It's time to get up." Connor called out. 

He could see Hank roll over and mumble something into his pillow. "Hank, there's breakfast, and there's food I can eat too!"

Hank grumbled again and sat up slowly. "Fine. Fine, I'm fucking up. I'll be there in a second." Hank waved his hand. Connor nodded and closed the door again. 

"Alright! Time to eat!" Connor said, bouncing slightly. Chloe smiled at him before leading the way. 

"I was excited too when I got to eat. We've definitely improved, and now we can replicate most foods. They taste almost the same, though it does leave a slight aftertaste. Elijah has been trying to work that out." Chloe explained. "A few of us had wondered why he was doing it and told us he would sell it, but his main goal was for us. He said he didn't need the extra money, but he wanted all androids to be able to eat if they wanted." 

"That's amazing." Connor said. He really couldn't wait to eat. He wondered how much he could eat. If he ate too much would he get sick? Would he feel full? He felt his excitement rising quickly.

_ There was a content to just be. Part of Gavin started to realize that's probably the reason he'd never be lieutenant as young as Hank was. He never had that 'spotlight' need that Elijah did, and his work was more in the alleys of Detroit than the city hall steps. He shook out of his thoughts as Chloe spoke, smiling to the way Connor bounced a bit. _

_ Hearing the issue they had, he tried to think of the chemical makeup of thirium. Then of red ice. "Has he tried counterbalancing for it using neutralizers or do they affect systems too negatively when cycled?" He asked, and chuckled as she told him the main goal of it was for the Chloes. He knew how much Elijah loved all the girls, and had a feeling that would spread to Connor if he kept bringing him over. The thought was nice- Connor deserved more friends that intelligence wise could match him. _

_ He would message Chloe though about teaching him to make this later. Right now he just wanted the other to enjoy himself. His eyes closed as he let Connor lead them. _

"That would be a better question for Elijah. He had kept the food a surprise so we didn't really know how he did it until he showed us how. If he hasn't thought of that, I'm sure he'd be interested in trying it." Chloe said, she kept her pace quick enough for Connor's excitement, but slow enough that they weren't jogging. 

"We have quite a lot to choose from this morning. All the Chloes who like cooking pitched in. We've got pancakes, waffles, syrup, butter, chocolate milk, eggs, bacon, hash browns, coffee, and orange juice. I would suggest only eating not eating too much the first time. It won't hurt you, but it's better to take it slow." Chloe said as they reached the dining room. 

The table was large and many Chloes sat around it talking to each other. On the table was all the food she had listed, and similar food for the humans, which were labeled. It would definitely end badly if a human ate food that had thirium in it. 

There were four sheets left open, and the Chloe took one of them, instantly chatting with the other beside her. 

Connor smiled and pulled Gavin into a chair and stared at the food. There was just so much it was almost overwhelming. "What should I try first?" He asks Gavin.

_ Gavin was glad to see the empty chairs were beside Elijah, and thanked Connor for letting him get the seat. He made sure to message Tina to not let those fucks go before he got there, but then looked to Elijah, questions and theories in his head about the formula. Of course, Connor came first, and he blinked. "Coffee and hashbrowns- I wonder if the coffee has the same effects or just taste-" _

_ Elijah looked up from his plate of eggs and hashbrowns. "Sorta! I went and 'charged' the thirium with electricity and the heat allows it to pass through faster, therefor working faster." _

_ "Did you charge it using the heating process or with low currents supplied into thirium?" _

_ They started to ramble at each other, Gavin getting some food eventually as they spoke. It had been a long time since Gavin talked tech, and there were times where he smiled confused- but Elijah was able to twist the words to keep Gavin up to date. _

_ "I will try that! I forgot that you could do that with the taste." _

_ "Well yeah, you don't deal with RI overdoses daily. But it seems like it could work to counter the after taste problem. Or you know, breath mints." Elijah laughed softly at that and smacked Gavin's arm. _

_ "Fair fair. I will try it out though. Connor! I hope everything is working well?" _

Connor smiled as he put food on his plate. He poured himself coffee and stared at it for a second before picking his fork up. He took a bite and couldn't help but moan in happiness. He quickly ate his portion of hashbrowns. 

A few Chloes watched him with small smiles. He put every single food on his plate. He had to remind himself to slow down. 

He took a sip of the coffee and jumped slightly at the taste. It was so bitter, but he liked it. He then tried the orange juice. He probably should have drank water first. He wondered how different oranges tasted from orange juice. 

He tried the pancakes and waffles plain before trying them with syrup. The syrup was amazing with the pancakes and waffles. 

He tried the chocolate milk and almost melted. Food was so good. He couldn't wait to try so much more. He wondered what foods he wouldn't like. 

He got eggs next and ate those just as quickly. He only paused when Kamski addressed him. 

"This is amazing. Thank you so much." He honestly felt like crying. The door opened and Hank walked it, looking around before sitting next to Connor. 

He smiled slightly at Connor before looking at the food that was labeled for humans. He took a few waffles and a coffee. 

"Is it good, son?" Hank asked. 

"So good. The food is so flavorful and the textures are so different. Coffee is bitter while the chocolate milk is much sweeter." Connor rambled. It only took a second to realize that he did have an odd feeling in his stomach area. It wasn't a bad feeling though. This was probably what being full felt like. He rubbed at his stomach gently and looked up to smile at Gavin and Kamski. 

_ Elijah originally meant the repairs, but couldn't help the proud smile and Gavin took a bite of his food to hide the grin. "I'm glad you like it," Eli started, looking to the Chloes at the table. "I hope to have this perfected soon so everyone can enjoy it. Of course, if you'd like Connor, before you leave I can try making some things for you to take home?" _

_ When the door opened for Hank, Gavin merely waved, before his food was finished off. He checked the time- starting to cut it close to being late, but at that smile he didn't feel as bad. He got a brilliant idea then, and nearly whipped around. "Eli! Cake- could you make- a cake? I can come by and help if you need it- you have the milk, eggs, and flour put down for it-" _

_ "I don't see... Why I couldn't? You can't eat it Gavin- and even if you could, you wouldn't because you never eat that much 'useless sugar'." _

_ "Not for me dipshit-" He scooted towards Elijah, dropping his voice to a whisper. He knew Connor could over hear but Hank and some of the other girls couldn't. "We could make a cake for Jericho. Have Connor take it over, cheer up Markus and them after all this." _

_ Elijah smiled knowingly, then shoved the other. "Alright alright, and let me guess, it's from Connor and 'the DPD' isn't it." Gavin winked to him, grinning madly and then moving to stand. _

_ "Alright Con, I gotta get going if I'm going to beat lunch rush traffic. Love you, rest dammit, I'll message you when I get there?" He was a light shade of pink at Eli's teasing 'awwww' coo'd behind him. _

Connor looked up at Gavin and pulled him into a quick kiss, rolling his eyes when Hank made a disgusted noise. "I will, please do, and I love you too." 

"And I'd love that Ka-Elijah, thank you!" He felt like bouncing in his seat, so he did just that, but only slightly. "Also, I am still fully functional, thank you again for taking care of me." 

"Reed, take it easy alright." Hank said, nodding to Gavin. He understood the need to finish a case fully. It always felt wrong when it was closed without all the facts, even if they did lock up the bad guys. He couldn't imagine not knowing what happened to a friend or family member. 

"Yes, like Hank said, don't push yourself." Connor said, touching his arm slightly. He didn't want to see him go, but he knew he had to. If he didn't Gavin would be more stressed, and that wouldn't be good for his health.

_ At last Gavin was starting to get the idea Hank was just- like that about affection in general, kissing back briefly. It was so adorable to see Connor so excited, and his chest felt tight from pure affection. He wasn't even are of the dopey smile til Elijah spoke. _

_ "Of course! It's an honor, really, and now I have someone that I can sucker into bringing Gavi around more often. You both are welcome here anytime you need help with something." He said, then leaned over, yanking Gavin's arm so he'd get a hug in, purposefully fucking up Gavin's hair. _

_ "Oh you phck-" _

_ "Heh- I expect to hear from you soon," muttered under his breath so only Gavin could hear it, "shithead." _

_ Gavin pushed off, sticking his tongue out then looking to Hank. "Eh- ah-" He stumbled, and it fully occurred to him how nice this all was. It sent his heart running fast but he kept it in control for the moment. "Thanks, will do. Seriously, I'll let you two know when it's closed as well- you were on the case before me. Won't let either of you down." He said, and then Connor touched his arm and he could probably tell his thoughts were racing. _

_ For once in a good- or what he thought was good- way. He offered another smile to Connor and then waved. "Cya guys later, Eli behave- you ladies have a good day!" He waved and quickly moved out. He didn't stop moving til he was outside, pausing to call a cab and then breathing shakily. _

_ 'Family. Holy shit. Holy fuck- what the fuck?' He had approximately four minutes to deal with the pure- light in him. Sitting at the table, with people worried for him, eating breakfast- Gavin was so confused and happy at the same time. He never thought he'd have something like this. It was too much and yet he didn't feel panic hit him, just butterflies in his every limb.  _

Connor ate more than he should have after Gavin left. Kamski did send them off with quite a lot of food that Connor made sure to label when they got home. 

He and Hank took Sumo to the park and played with him for awhile. It was pretty sunny out so it was nice to walk around the park. 

Connor did stop by to see how Markus and the others were doing. Markus had had a bit of work but was fine. He had been told to rest, but he didn't seem to sit still for long, and had a few paintings done. Connor brought up the idea of makeup and wearing feminine clothes to Markus and the others. All of them had agreed that he would look great in both. North had even offered to take him clothing shopping. 

After he went back home with Hank, and made sure to drink thirium. He didn't want to eat all the food in one day, so he made sure to only eat small bites when he felt like it. The feeling of being full did slowly go away. 

Hank and Connor also talked about Gavin. Mostly about how Connor felt. Hank may be emotionally constipated, but he didn't want Connor to be. They also talked about how long Hank was making him take a break. They ended up watching old movies while Connor waited for Gavin to finish up work.

_ He made it in time. Not wasting time, and carefully setting the sweater on his desk, he got to Tina and started with the interrogations. The first one was- actually pretty good. He took the guy that seemed to want nothing to do with him first, needing to ease himself into this. He gave up a couple things, but admitted he wouldn't know the names of everyone who had been disassembled. He did give him the name of several other sellers in return for lesser jail time. He was the one facing the least, and Gavin was somewhat satisfied with that interrogation. _

_ The next guy- not so much. It took every bit of willpower to not run. He was just as bad in the club as he in the interrogation room, and thankfully Tina was there to back him out. He was useless, and Gavin's nerves were frayed. He almost called Connor, just to hear him. He settled for sitting at his desk, hoodie on his lap and doing some paperwork to calm down. _

_ The boss was last. And surprisingly- squealing like a motherfucker. He wondered if Connor scared him that badly, and did mention he could get the other to come in and ask instead. It worked, and finally, Gavin was writing down names and locations- descriptions of where and how they were taken. Visually seeing the list on the table, he felt- too much. Happiness, despair, resolution, a sense of somber peace at knowing he'd finally get to put these people to rest. Of course there wasn't much else he would give, and soon he was gone too. _

_ The rest of the day was spent making house calls, Gavin leaving the paperwork for a time he didn't have energy vibrating through him. There were five on the list that didn't have any connections he could find, and he made a note to see if Jericho knew of them later. The other 12... It was hard, and by the time he got back he had to look like shit. "Call him." _

_ "Hah?" _

_ Tina smacked the back of his head, and Gavin just whined. "Call Connor. You look like shit." Gavin nodded, pulling out his phone and heading for the empty meeting room. He called the other, pulling the hoodie back on and sitting in one of the chairs. _

Connor jumped slightly and smiled when he saw the incoming call. "Gavin is calling, I'll be right back." He didn't really need to move for privacy, but he still went to his room anyway. 

He shut the door and sat down on the bed before answering. "Gavin! How was your day? Are you alright?" 

_ Just hearing the other made him slump a little, glad to know how to frost the meeting room glass. "Hahhh- I'm fine Con. Just- got finished making house calls. Interrogations are wrapped up- you scared the ever-loving phck out of the one dude. I uh- just wanted to hear you. I gotta finish up the paperwork, but the case is closed when I'm done. Congrats on your first undercover case babe." He said, trying to convey warmth and not the tiredness he felt. _

_ "How's your day been? I bet Sumo missed you." He could only imagine the big guy being so hyper when Connor came back. "You been calibrating your arm?" _

Connor smiled and leaned back against the wall. "I have, and he was. Hank and I took him to the park. He spent most of the time laying down, but I did throw the ball for him. Once a few kids saw how far I could throw the ball they asked me to do the same for their dogs." The kids had also recognized Connor from TV and received hugs. One of the kids was an android and was friends with the others. 

"I also stopped by at Jericho. Markus is doing well, though he is bored. North offered to take me shopping for a dress, but I told her I was already going with you." He was glad that North trusted him even after everything he had done. 

"I am glad that the case is finished. Thank you, for my first undercover case I'd say it went pretty well. You don't have to do all the paperwork tonight though." He wanted Gavin back in his arms. 

_ "That sounds so cute- I bet Sumo loved that. And man- that's so- phck that's so cool Connor that you can just- talk to the Jericho leaders." It was a deeply kept secret that Gavin found all of them to be heroes. If the DPD ever had to do a protection detail, he was so begging Fowler to let him on it. _

_ "North probably would be better dress shopping you know, all things considered, I'd say she has a better fashion sense than I do." He chuckled at that. "We can compromise and send her photos of what you pick out?" _

_ Gavin got the hint alright, and phck, it was a very tempting hint. "I'll see if Fowler let's me clock out now. You're right, paperwork can wait. Is Hank alright with me coming over tonight though? I don't want to intrude, I can always stop by in the morning." _

"It is nice to know them, and consider them friends. North expressed interest in meeting you when I talked about you." She did have a look though similar to Hank, and Connor had a feeling she would threaten Gavin to be good to him, too. 

"That sounds like a plan on the clothes and of course you can. Hank already told me you could come over whenever you wanted." He was so grateful that Hank is supportive of his relationship. "I also need to do my own paperwork once I'm given permission to go back to work." 

_ "Oh phck-" He actually laughed at that. "She wants to meet me? You know you could've told me fucking- Tom Hiddleston wanted to meet me and I'd believe you slightly more than this." _

_ Nerding out a bit, he calmed it down with a shake of his head. He did feel better, and got up, going to make his way to Fowler's office. "I just don't wanna annoy him..." He admitted, knowing it was probably his anxiety talking more than himself. He made a wheeze at the other doing paperwork. "I can do it for you ya know? I mean, I'm going to Fowler's now when he's done, but I could take care of it." Was he trying to just, get past this without Connor worrying? Absolutely. _

"She seems protective of me for some reason." Connor says. And it's true. She had made sure he was ok and then scolded him for being so reckless. She had punched his shoulder before pulling him into a very quick hug. 

"You don't need to. Paperwork doesn't take very long. In fact, I can do it 99.99% faster if I can do with through a computer. If I have to actually write I can still do it 56% faster than humans can." Perks of being an android. "You don't need to worry about annoying Hank, he is happy for both of us."

_ "Ah- another shotgun talk then." He was teasing, but when the other spit facts at him, he actually whined. "I know I don't need to, but you'll be busy with stuff with Hank. I'm still coming in, as of right now, while you two are off. I can get the paperwork and I'll probably start on a new case." He said, knowing Connor wasn't his partner in a work sense. _

_ "I'm- really glad to hear that. But still- over-exposure to me is probably bad for his health pfft." The door opened, someone leaving Fowler's office. "Alright Connor, heading in to Fowler's. I'll see you in a bit?" He offered, knocking on the door and waiting for the muffled talking on the other side to stop. _

"I assume so." Yeah, it was definitely another shotgun talk. "Please don't push yourself. I'll see you soon." He said. He slowly got off from the bed and walked to the living room. 

"Gavin will be over soon, he's finishing up." Connor said, sitting back down beside Hank. "Gavin also finished up with the case, all that's left is paperwork." 

"Good. He shouldn't do too much, don't want him passing out again." Hank said, going to turn the movie back on. 

"What do you mean, pass out again? When did Gavin pass out?" Connor asks. He hadn't done so when Connor was around. Did he hit his head? He didn't seem to have any head trauma. 

"Shit." Hank grumbled. "He passed out when you got shot. I almost did the same. Fowler made sure he was alright. Not surprised he didn't tell you, self-sacrificing idiot. Probably didn't want you to worry." 

Connor was definitely worried. He was also slightly mad that Gavin hadn't told him. His LED was definitely spinning a solid red. 

"Kid, hey, Connor. He's alright. You saw him, he's fine." Hank said, putting a hand on his shoulder. 

"He… I. He passed out. He should have told me!" Connor said, shaking his head. 

Hank nodded and sighed. "Yeah, but you didn't need the extra stress. Speaking of, you need to calm down. I don't need to look at your LED to see you're stressed." 

Connor sighed and tried to relax his body. Gavin would be here soon and he'd make sure he was alright.

_ Of course Fowler let him off. He was still wary about Gavin being there, but like hell Gavin wouldn't be there. He assured Fowler he was fine, and thanked him for the concern. Told him Connor was fine and resting at home, as were the others. But soon he was allowed to leave, and he made his way over to the Anderson's. It was still weird to park outside a house, but he closed the door and walked up, knocking softly and shifting on his feet. _

_ He messaged Tina he made it, since Tina was bugging him earlier, and she sent back 'awww finally being a big boi and not staying up past your bedtime'. Tina- great friend, but also the most brutal person he knew. He then turned the phone to silent, stretching. He really needed to work out. Maybe he could get away with doing pushups in the morning and a stretch routine before Connor woke up.  _

He was still tense until he heard the knock. He bolted up and opened the door, only pausing for a millisecond to see that it is Gavin before pulling him into a hug. He knew Gavin was fine but it still felt better to have him near him. 

He pulled back and did a full scan of Gavin. "Do you feel any dizziness, nausea or light-headedness?" Connor questions. "Why didn't you tell me before!" He pulled Gavin into the room. He scans him multiple times just to make sure.

_ The sudden hug was very welcomed, Gavin returning it instantly. Of course he was worried something happened, looking over the other. He knew when he was being scanned, and eyes zeroed in on the other's LED. "No? I uh- wait tell you what? I feel a lot of confusion- did- did something happen? Are you ok?" He tensed, hands moving to cup Connor's face and frowning as he couldn't see any damage besides the scars. _

_ "You didn't get hurt playing with Sumo did you? I can call Eli again- or if you need something I can go out and get it, I'm not that tired yet." Both of them worrying, Gavin didn't like the twist in his gut it caused. _

"I'm perfectly fine! You on the other hand passed out! You didn't tell me. I get that you didn't want to worry me, but these things are important. What if you had lasting damage you weren't aware of, I could have helped." Connor said. 

He felt like crying, punching someone, and never letting go of Gavin ever again. All of these emotions were overwhelming, but he pushed away the notification of his stress levels. 

_ Oh. Oh. Gavin honestly forgot about that for a good couple minutes. "Oh- Shit Connor- that's- that's not-" He took a deep breath, holding onto him now. "I didn't pass out cause of injury," he started more quietly. _

_ "I had a really bad panic attack when you got shot. I uh, I started hyperventilating. Couldn't breathe- I-" He didn't want to think of it, hands dropping to Connor's shoulders and holding onto his shirt. Connor was alive and well, yet the emotions hurt.  _

_ "Thought you were gone and everything hurt- I blacked out from lack of oxygen. Don't- Don't worry. Eli yelled plenty at me too- and now I have to go get an inhaler in case I ever get that bad again. I can't honestly remember much of what happened when I woke up." _

Connor felt his body slump somewhat. "I'm glad you're ok, and I'm glad your getting an inhaler. I just… I was so worried. I didn't really have a reason to be, but I was. I knew you were ok… but I felt this way anyways." He pulled him into another hug, touching his neck where he could feel his pulse stronger. 

"Do you have any lasting symptoms?" They should be fine by now, and if not they were definitely not risking it. He'd drag Gavin to the hospital if need be. His LED circled between yellow and blue. He still felt somewhat overwhelmed, but his stress levels were decreasing. He would definitely need to drink more thirium soon. 

_ "Hah- welcome to the hell that is anxiety. At least you have a pretty experienced guide for that." A joke to diffuse tension, he could feel the other slump and reach for his neck. "But yes- I really would have told you once I was certain you could handle the stress. I didn't think it was the time yet, I hope you can see why." He nuzzled into the hand, then pressed kisses into the other's cheek. _

_ "I was sore this morning from being so tense, but after running about all day, I feel better. I will be taking a nice long bath when I get home eventually. Otherwise, no. Now." He pulled back and grabbed his hands, face serious. "You- LED is still yellow. Which means you're still stressed somewhat. Now you choose between movies or bed, but I am going to get you back to resting again."  _

Gavin was telling the truth. Gavin is fine. He kept the thought in his head. It did make sense to not tell him before. If he heard Gavin had passed out he would have tried to run back to Detroit if need be. It definitely wasn't good for his stress. 

"Bed. I do need to drink some thirium first. Hank, are you good?" Connor asks, turning his head to look at him. 

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine Connor. You rest." Hank said. "The walls are thick, but I don't wanna hear anything if you do." 

Connor snorted and blushed. He turns back to Gavin and tries to push the blush away. His LED was more blue than yellow now. 

_ Gavin was a bit dying now- turning a bright red at the comment. "Evening Anderson." He mumbled, hiding his face in the other's chest for a moment til he could pull away and breathe normally. "Alright, I'll just- not- hang out in here. Uhh- grab whatever you need I'll just be chilling." And dying from the 1-hit K.O. that was Hank. _

_ He pulled away and pulled the hoodie up, closing it so it hid his face and he could duck his head and escape to Connor's room without making any eye contact with Hank. He wasn't even thinking that way yet, but of course Hank fucking Anderson of all people would manage to blind side him so suddenly. _

Hank snorted and turned on a movie, focusing on that. Connor sent him a playful glare before going to the fridge and pulling out a bottle of thirium. 

It was supposed to taste like soda. Hank had gotten it for him. He took a sip and was pleasantly surprised. It was fizzy like soda, but the taste was slightly off. He drank most of it before putting the rest back. He had normal thirium in his room if need be. 

"Good night Hank." Connor said. "Don't stay up too late."

"Yeah, yeah" Hank waved him off. "Night Connor."

Connor smiled and shook his head fondly before walking to his room. He closed the door softly behind him. 

"Are you ok?" Connor asks.

_ Gavin managed to get the hoodie off, shoes sitting by the door and hoodie placed on Connor's dresser. He was just about to start stretching, simply feeling all kinds of tense and energized again when the door opened. At the question, Gavin let out a silent whine, a hand over his eyes. _

_ "So real talk- never had that kind of embarrassment to deal with so it's just- very easy to get flustered by. I'm good just- holy phck, I'm suddenly glad I got to skip all-" He waved his hand towards the living room. "That. No shotgun talks for you, sadly, you'll never get to be on the receiving end of that chaos." He reached his arms out, wanting a hug from the other again. _

Connor chuckled and pulled him into a hug. "I find it quite amusing, though a bit embarrassing. I do think it's better that he knows than doesn't. I wouldn't feel comfortable hiding something this big from him." He let his head rest in the crook of Gavin's neck, and his eyes closed. 

His stress levels dropped back to normal as he hugged him. He pressed a soft kiss to his neck. "I love you," He mumbles against his skin.

_ "Oh I'm glad he knows I'm just glad he's your dad, not mine." He turned his head to rub his chin against Connor, well aware he needed to shave soon. Small kisses to the skin he could reach, and then tilting his head away as an automatic reaction to his kiss. _

_ "Love you too. I promise I would've told you later. Now, I was going to do some stretching because I'm tense and have been ignoring my routine for too long. What do you normally do while alone?" He asks, curious since he didn't see any tvs in here. Not that Connor would probably need it. _

"I know you would have." Be places another soft kiss before pulling back enough so he would see Gavin's face.

"I normally read books in my head. I also do research on things I'm interested in. I sometimes watch videos of animals." He lists off. "I can stretch with you if you'd like. It doesn't do anything for me physically, but it does feel good." 

One night when he was bored he tried yoga. It was very calming, but none of it was difficult for him. He wonders if Gavin had ever tried yoga.

_ "Huh- I mean, if you want? I'm just doing some basic stuff to keep up somewhat with schedule. Really need to use one of these days in the DPD gym or actually on my own equipment." He chuckled at that, then pulled away completely. _

_ He couldn't help but grin as he started, moving as quietly as the jeans would allow. "Just be careful with your arm- have you ever seen a guy go from standing to the splits before?" He asked, wanting to see Connor's reaction. He remembered the other liked how flexible he was on a pole. And while he just wanted to tease, it would be a good way to distract him for a bit. _

"Going to the gym is very good for you, though you are already in perfect shape." Gavin's health was very good other than the high amounts of caffeine and stress. 

"I will, my arm has been feeling good." He moved his arm around to show Gavin. "No I haven't." He tilted his head slightly. 

_ Gavin ducked his head, smiling happily at the compliment and chest puffing. His heart sped up and now he had to show off for Connor. Once both legs were ready and he made sure he had room, he stepped back. Holding his arms out, he took a breath- then dropped. _

_ Jeans made it burn just a bit, and Gavin's breath hitched, but it was otherwise a perfect glide into a split. "Tada! Shouldn't be doing this with jeans buuut- for you I can handle a little burn~" Teasing. Absolutely was teasing. _

Connor's eyes widen. He wondered how long it took to become this flexible, and why he wanted to. He was definitely impressed though. 

"That's, uh, that's really... wow," He managed to get out. "That's really voluptuous." He felt his thirium pump speed up a bit. He felt his face heat up, blushing blue. 

_ Every time he stunned the other was such a proud moment, and while it took him a moment to get back up, he stretched his back after. _

_ "Thank you? It's fun to surprise people doing that, Tina always giggles at it." He shook his head, starting to properly stretch now.  _

_ "You're blushing Connor~" Feeling a couple pops in his back, he didn't stop the pleased sigh as he started to feel better already.  _

He brought a hand up to his cheek, willing the blush away. He moved closer, placing a hand on Gavin's hip. "It's definitely surprising. You keep amazing me with everything you do." He presses a kiss to his face. 

"Do you want to lay down now?" He asks. He keeps his hand on Gavin's hip, the other tests on his neck, tracing shapes onto his skin. 

_ Melting in the other's hands, he smiled at the kiss. "Likewise Con. Too bad I'm running out of tricks, guess I'll have to learn a couple more." He laughed a bit at that, and moved closer. _

_ "Mmm, just lay down?" He teased, letting out a sigh to the hand on his neck. It was the sensitive spot on him, and he couldn't help but move his head to the front and let it hang. "Your hands feel so nice…" _

Connor warmed his hands up slowly. "You are quite unpredictable, I think I will always be surprised." He kissed him more and tightened his hold on Gavin's neck and waist. 

He sat down in the bed and pulled Gavin into his lap. "I make no promises." His arm only felt slightly off, and some parts of his skin had an odd feeling. Kamski did say he could if he wanted to. 

_ There was a brief gasp as the hold on his neck tightened and that was just playing dirty. 'Really need to talk about what you're into.' He kissed back and placed his hands on Connor's skin. He just wanted to feel, gently moving his hands around, mapping out wounds he would kiss. _

_ "I am itching with a want to kiss every inch of you again. If- you're fine with that." He felt- soft despite wanting to tease Connor. _

Connor hummed happily. “I did have to heal, so I no longer have any marks.” Connor points out. He leans forward to place a soft kiss against Gavin’s cheek, then down his jar and to his neck. 

His hand on Gavin’s waist pushes up under his shirt, feeling the warm, soft skin. He touches each scar he can find with delicateness. “Of course I’m fine with it. I want you to.” Connor says, pulling away from his neck to kiss his lips. 

_ "Those- can wait. I want you to be fully healed before I try that again." He let out a soft sigh at the kisses, and wiggled at the hand under his shirt. His own hands mimicked the action, tracing over the bullet scar from days ago. _

_ "Who am I to deny you anything." He smiles as he says this, kissing back gently. One hand moves to Connor's shoulder and pushes softly, wanting him to lay down. He couldn't do much like this, and he really wanted to pamper the other. _

He slowly lays down, positioning himself so he’s comfortably on the bed. He keeps his hands were they are, but with less pressure for if Gavin needed to move more. “I am 97% healed, and I can now only be 99%.” He sets himself a reminder to drink at least one bottle of thirium after they are done. 

“Is there anything specific you want to do or try?” Connor asks. He would tilt his head if he wasn’t laying down. He keeps the warm temperature of his hands the same. He moves his hand down Gavin’s back, only his finger tips touching softly. 

_ That sentence caused Gavin to pause, worry in his eyes for a moment. "Only be 99? Because of the scarring?" He was worried as hell about that, but it was something he'd keep in mind for after. "I should ask you that- though I have ideas for when you are top of your game again. Especially with your focus on my neck." _

_ He tugged at the other's shirt, trying not to push into the hand as it moved. It was almost ticklish how soft the touch was. "Off with this please." He hummed, stealing one more quick kiss from the other's cheek. _

He sat up just enough to pull his shirt off. “Yes, the scars won’t affect me, but I never be back to 100 unless I get a new body.” He didn’t really want a new body. They all felt the same, but he could tell the difference somehow. He wanted this body, it had been through a lot, even with all the scars and imperfections he now had. 

“We will definitely talk about what you like, though I have already noticed some that are more obvious.” He had been keeping track of Gavin’s reactions to certain things in the back of his mind. He wanted to make Gavin feel as good as possible. He reached down to squeeze Gavin’s ass playfully. 

_ Which fair. For a moment, he wondered what his own percentage would be. "That's understandable. Just means I will have to always kiss your wounds better." He grinned a bit to that, starting to kiss down Connor's neck. Of course he couldn't exactly place where was burnt and everything, so really when he got to his chest, he just kissed around the side that was missing an arm. _

_ "And what you like. I like- a lot of things honestly. Some are a bit- a lot. Just- a lot. But I'd really would like to find out what I can tease you with too." He rumbled against the other's skin, finding one of the bullet scars and peppering it with soft kisses around the skin. There was a small part of him that wondered if Connor's chassis was sensitive. The curiosity paused him, and he looked up to Connor to ask about it- when the other squeezed and he let out a gasp, nearly choking on the noise from surprise. _

He let out soft breaths, watching Gavin. He loved the feeling of Gavin’s lips against his skin. He felt loved, and he knew he is. He knew Gavin loved him, loved the android parts of him too. He loved Gavin, he loved his beating heart and vulnerable skin, and the air in his lungs. Humans were more… easily harmed. He wanted to protect him from everything. 

“You just being you is teasing, especially with an ass like that.” Connor chuckled at Gavin’s reaction. “I love you.” He said once he stopped snickering. 

_ "So what I'm hearing is- wear more tight jeans and maybe some other things." Gavin had a couple outfit ideas, depending on how strong Connor's analysis software was, he could really have fun torturing Connor. "Love you too- I uh- have a question. Is your chassis more sensitive? I don't want to kiss directly on the scars if it'll hurt you of course but uh... If it doesn't..." He ducked his head then, a bit embarrassed by his curiosity now that he was voicing it. _

_ "If it doesn't, I want to try something. If you're comfortable with it that is I- phck." He cursed as his head jumbled what he wanted to say. _

He felt himself flush at ideas of outfits Gavin would wear… both outside of the bedroom and in. That was definitely he wanted to see. He wondered what outfits Gavin would like him in. 

“I know it is more… well, it is more emotional to touch it. I do think it is more sensitive, but in a good way. Android couples can connect more through it. I don’t know what will happen with you. I… it may glow blue.” Connor says. He had seen Simon and Markus connect before and he had looked away after a second. It seemed too private to watch. Markus had explained afterwards when Connor asked him about it. 

_ Noticing how much Connor liked to touch, Gavin reached up for Connor's hand, pulling it off and holding it by the wrist, one finger pressed into his palm. "I know I'm not able to connect with you, but can you expose it for a moment?" He asked, unable to look the other's in the eyes right now, heart pounding rapidly. He really hoped this wasn't a weird request, but Gavin knew about interfacing, holding hands like this. He seen couples do it, android couples, and wished he could give Connor that, but the next best thing was acknowledging what Connor liked. _

_ "If at any moment you want to stop you say so though!" He said quickly, now looking up to him. He felt like- weirdly- a rabbit in a cage. _

Connor nodded and slowly pulled the skin away from his hand. He felt his breath catched as his hand started to glow were Gavin touched it. He could tell his system was trying to connect to Gavin. He could feel the blood flowing through Gavin and felt his heartbeat much stronger than before. He could almost feel the energy in Gavin. It felt amazing. 

He knew that if he was to pull back all of his skin, wherever Gavin was touching him would be glowing blue. “This… its amazing.” Connor mumbled. He aligned their hands. Connor’s were longer, but thinned, while Gavin’s were wider. He wondered what it felt like to Gavin. Without his skin, he was smoother and slicker, it was still warm, and he felt more warmth where he glowed.

_ A soft smile took over Gavin's face. It definitely felt different, but not bad. The smoothness was nice, and he couldn't help but think of how rough his hands were from years of use. Fighting, holding a gun, the years he played guitar on his fingertips. He let out a soft laugh at the glow, something warm and bubbling out of him. "You're so beautiful you glow." He said, unable to stop the small joke said with all the affection he could hold. _

_ His hand slipped to the other's wrist and he pulled it forward, pressing his lips to Connor's palm. "I noticed you like touching- a lot- and wanted to see if this felt better for you." He made sure to say this so his lips brushed against Connor's hand. _

Connor chuckled at the joke almost nervously. He liked being able to feel every little detail of Gavin’s hand. His thirium pump was speeding up the more they touched. He let his other hand’s skin pull back, bringing it up to rest on Gavin’s cheek. 

He let out a shaky breath when Gavin kissed his hand. “I can feel everything.” A wide smile spread across his face. “I do enjoy physical affection. We don’t have to touch like this all the time but… I, I really like this. What does it feel like to you? Is it, does it make you uncomfortable.” He felt so vulnerable like this. He hoped Gavin liked this at least somewhat. 

_ "We can definitely do this more." He kissed up the other's fingers. "I- it's different, but nice. You're warmer, and soft- I mean you're always soft, but this is different." He nuzzled against the hand on his cheek, not letting go of the other. _

_ "I like- it- hah. I know this is something you only do with those you love and trust... And I'm really happy you trust me like this. That's what I like most- seeing how much it affects you and knowing I have that trust." _

_ Feeling way too sappy now, he gently took a finger in his teeth. "I wanna know just how sensitive you are like this, if you're cool with that?" He swallowed, looking the other in the eyes with want and warmth. _

Connor pulled back his skin where they touched, but kept the rest on. They feeling was overwhelming in a very good way. “I do trust you, so much. I… apparently we only glow if we love the person.” It wasn’t odd for very close friends or families to connect this way. He heard that it didn’t matter what type of love you felt. 

He felt like he couldn’t breath though he didn’t need to. He panted slightly anyway. “Yes, please,” Connor whimpered weakly. He probably looked to weird with patches without skin. He’d have to concentrate to keep most of his skin up, but he was sure he could do it. He didn’t mind how he looked without skin, but it would definitely be odd for Gavin. He’d definitely keep his skin covering some parts of himself though, like his face. 

_ "I wish I glowed every time you touched me- would be fun to see if you could get away with it at work." Gavin couldn't help the idea, smiling at it, but he knew what he was. What they both were- and it didn't bother him. As the patches started to show up and disappear, he couldn't help but grin, feeling so proud of himself. Sure it was a bit concerning at first, he couldn't not see the afterimages of when he was injured. But he realized that it wasn't damage causing this. _

_ Him, and one hand moved off Connor's wrists to trace a patch on his stomach. His mouth focused on gently taking a finger into his mouth, and that definitely was different. Warm and smooth- Gavin almost, almost made a joke about this but was glad he had some self-control. _

Connor trembled slightly at the feeling. It felt like lighting shooting through him where Gavin touched him, and he loved it. He wondered if this was what humans felt, this amount of pleasure. 

He watched Gavin’s mouth and couldn’t help the small whine. His cheeks flush blue at the sound. He used his free hand to grip the sheets. He was only momentarily worried that he would rip the sheets, even if he did he could easily replace them. “Please, please,” He mumbled out, he didn’t know what he was pleading for, but he wanted something. He wanted everything. 

_ The fact they needed to be quiet was very much present in the back of his head, but short of caring, he continued anyways. He loved feeling the other tremble, and continued tracing exposed patches. He pulled off one finger and took another, gentle of course. His teeth brushed against knuckles and tongue ran along the fingertips. He hummed once before pulling back again. "Still good?" _

_ Not to lie, this was fun. He didn't give the other a moment before repeating the action, watching his hand move over Connor's chest. He was trying to actually see if he could get the patches bigger by chasing them into each other, and also tried to place them over Connor's chest, a plan in his head lazily mapping out. _

He let out soft sounds, trying to keep his voice down. He wanted to try to muffle himself with his free hand, but he couldn’t seem to let go of the sheets. He heard a faint rip and knew he did actually rip the sheet. 

“Gavin,” Connor whined, squirming. He lost control of his skin for a second and more pulled back. He tried to keep most of intact but it pulled back wherever Gavin touched. He kept mumbling the others name. He rocked his head up and moaned at the friction. 

_ Gavin sucked softly at the noises, and holy phck he ripped the sheet. Gavin couldn't help the needy whine around the others fingers in return, and pulled away, making sure to drag his tongue. "Oh phck Connor. Grip me instead please." His hand left Connor's chest for a second to tug at Connor's, then went back to it's goal. Once a patch was over his chest, he just laid his palm flat, above the thirium pump, feeling the heat and whirr of the other. _

_ It was so soft and Gavin wanted to rub his face against the other's chest. "Careful, do I need to gag you before we get caught?" It was only teasing, Gavin taking three fingers in his mouth this time and rocking his hips back into the other. _

He might need that with how loud he was getting. He moved his hand away from the bed and gripped Gavin's hip. He pulled his waist roughly down as he rocked up. 

"Fuck, Gavin! Fucking," he whined. He worried about the bruise that was already on Gavin's hip. 

He pushed his fingers deeper into Gavin's mouth. It made him want more, so he rolled his hips up again, arching his back slightly off the bed. 

_ Between the roughness, the bruising grip, and the other rocking up, Gavin couldn't hold back the deep moan if he tried, eyes closing as he moved back without thinking. He wished he thought to remove these damn jeans. He mumbled the other's name around his fingers and then they were pushing deeper. _

_ His hand had to leave the other's chest, placing on top of the one on his waist soothingly before working on his pants. His words were muffled, but he got out 'please pull down' around the other's fingers, knowing teeth hit fingers as he did so. This was supposed to be soft, but he wasn't complaining at all about the change of pace, especially with his hips still rocking on the other's. _

Connor reached down and pushed Gavin's pants down, and then his own. He shivered slightly at the cold so he rolled his hips up again. He kept his skin on his dick, not wanting it to feel too weird for Gavin. 

He shoved his fingers down until Gavin's lips touched his knuckles. "You're so fucking hot." He said, leaning up to place a kiss onto Gavin's neck. It was a slightly awkward position for himself, but he didn't mind. "I love you, so fucking much.

_ Gavin remembered the fact the other kept going commando, and he cursed his boxers right now. At least it wasn't so restrictive, but he wondered if he could convince the other to take him like this. Of course the thought had him whined around the fingers. _

_ They went deeper and Gavin switched to breathing through his nose, gulping around the fingers and twitching at the words. Connor bent and Gavin moved his hand to chase the patch, forcing it down to Connor's hip with insistent fingers tapping and rubbing against white. He couldn't talk like this, 'hah found a way to shut me up', so he simply let out a moan instead, sucking again and shivering at the pleasure assaulting him from everything. _

_ Then his hand moved to Connor's length, holding onto him and stroking gently. _

"Ah, fuck yes," Connor moaned, his eyes slipped closed. He did everything he could to keep his skin covering him but it was getting incredibly hard. He pushed his hips up, wanting more. 

He moved his hand down to Gavin's ass and under his boxers. "You're so beautiful… so amazing." Connor mumbled opening his eyes to watch Gavin. 

_ Gavin's eyes were lidded, unable to focus anywhere else but Connor's hand, and then he couldn't even fully focus there. His eyes closed tightly at the hand in his boxers, and he bucked, groaning around fingers. He knew he was probably making a mess of the other's fingers and he tried not to but it was getting hard to think. _

_ His hand didn't slip though, still moving and his hips tried to move against Connor's hand then. The compliments didn't fall to deaf ears, Gavin whining as he couldn't say it back, so he ran his teeth along the skin and let his tongue reach out between his fingers. _

He squeezed Gavin's ass before moving a finger down to brush against his hole. He wouldn't be able to do much since he didn't have any lube. He'd definitely buy some afterwards.

"Please… I, ah, I'm not gonna last too long if we keep this up." Connor said between pants. His rolled his hips in time with Gavin's hand. His extra sensitivity made him feel like he was on fire. Not in a bad way though, this felt amazing. 

He worried about Gavin's breathing for a second. He knew he'd pull away if he could no longer breathe. Did Gavin like not being able to breath? He'd have to ask him later, especially when his fingers weren't in his mouth.

_ A pitiful whine greeted the other when he didn't do anything except for tease, but hearing the panted our words, he couldn't care too much. He wanted to see that, see Connor come undone just from some this alone. He hummed hard, nodding his head and pushing into the fingers. _

_ Breathing was a challenge in remembering to do so through his nose- but he wasn't cut off from air. It all felt good though, and he was definitely asking to do this again some time. Maybe soon. His hand on Connor's member sped up and he forced his eyes to meet Connor's, adoring the blue on his face. _

Connor thought of an idea and hoped it would work. He moved his hand away from Gavin's ass and reached down between his own. He gently scooped up some of his self-made lube. 

He moved his hand back and gently pushed his finger in. It was enough that it wouldn't be too painful for Gavin. 

He kept rocking his hips up almost without his choice. He kept mumbling Gavin's name, his back arching higher each second that passed. He was so close to the edge.

_ How the other got lube was beyond him, but he found very quickly he didn't care. He was very glad he was muffled cause he moaned loudly, eyes closing as he rocked back into the hand. _

_ It definitely worked, and Gavin whimpered at the new feeling, nipping fingers on accident and his hand stuttering on Connor's length. He could tell the other was close, and part of him wondered if he needed to walk. He could feel temptation burn up his spine as he opened his eyes to look down. _

He tried to be gentle with his finger but he had the urge to see how far he can push Gavin. He moved his finger so he could find Gavin's prostate. He slowly pushed another finger in, much slower than last time. 

"Ga-Gavin please! More," Connor whined. He was so, so close. He tried to keep his hips in places but at this point he barely had any control. 

_ He tried saying the other's name around Connor's fingers, and holy phck he was going to come untouched and that was absolutely fine with him. He felt the brush against that one bundle of nerves and his self-control left the building- pushing back onto the second finger without waiting. _

_ Pulling back on the fingers in his mouth, he spoke softly, an idea coming to him. "Connor- Con Con Con- pull the skin back here, please- please." A quick squeeze around his member, pausing his hand. He sounded so excited- he knew the rest of him was sensitive now, he wanted to see how badly this would wreck the other. So what if it looked weird- if it felt good to Connor that's all that mattered to Gavin right now. _

He smiled when he found the spot, making sure to hit it every time. He could tell Gavin was close from his heart rate and breathing. He made a quick decision and went for it, sliding in another finger. He wasn't too gentle this time, knowing Gavin could take it, and like it. He'd definitely need to make sure he was ok after, maybe take a bath to help ease any pain. 

He was nervous about pulling the skin away. Gavin didn't seem to mind, on the contrary, he seemed to like it. Well, at least like what it was doing to Connor. He wondered if his dick would also glow, and the thought almost made him snort. "O-ok" Connor says, before pulling the skin back.

It felt amazing to say the least. He practically short-circuited with how it felt. His voice made an odd glitching sound, though nothing was wrong. He guessed it was from pleasure. "Fuck, oh fuck!" Connor said, he had to force himself to not yell that out, and it thankfully only came out as a yelp. 

_ Gavin's head tilted back and he bit hard on his lip as he nearly came from the sudden roughness. He was going to be sore, nothing a bath wouldn't handle though. But right now it felt so good, and he couldn't help the low, needy whine that left because he couldn't be vocal. _

_ At the ok he managed to look down, and oh- he was investing in a cockring for himself very soon. Connor's face was so damn beautiful, and the yelp was permanently embedded into his head til he died. His hand carefully slowed, not wanting to over-stimulate the other. He tried to speak but letting go of his lip caused a low moan, immediately.  _

_ Sensing they were both too close to muffle themselves well, he leaned down to kiss Connor, letting his own noises drown in the kiss. _

Connor trembled, using his free hand to grip Gavin's hip firmly. It would no doubt cause some pain but Gavin seemed to enjoy that. He'd definitely want to test how much pain would be too much, but they had time for that later. Though it did fascinate him that people were capable of experiencing pleasure from pain when they should be opposites.

He bit at Gavin's lips as he kept moving his hips. It was more sporadic than before. It didn't take too much longer from him to tense up. He tried to keep his voice down, but even though the kids he was louder than he'd like. 

He kept his fingers moving, wanting Gavin to come too. He sped his pace up by 13% and made sure to hit his prostate every time. "Gavin, fuck, Gavin come." He mumbled against the other's lips.

_ Everything was too much, overwhelming and perfect. The pain of the grip, Connor biting his lips and crying out into the kiss, the way he tensed up- Gavin didn't even last a minute, letting out a broken almost sob-like noise before the command was the final thing to undo him.  _

_ He didn't have the energy to be embarrassed about coming untouched, pressing teeth in what would bruise to the other's neck to muffle the quiet moans as pleasure left him in waves. "Phck, sorry about- the hah- bite." He didn't mean to bruise, pressing soft kisses as he fought breathing to do so. He needed to move, very aware that Connor was the one injured here, and bit his cheek to muffle the whine as he tried to pull them to lay on their sides. _

Connor slowed his breathing somewhat before slowly pulling his fingers out. He pressed a quick kiss to Gavin's nose. "You're beautiful." He loved getting to watch Gavin feel so much pleasure, and it was even better knowing that he's the one causing it. 

"I don't mind, I actually like it quite a lot." He said. He loved leaving marks on Gavin and he very much loved it when Gavin left some on him.

"I would recommend taking a bath now. The longer you wait the higher chance of the pain being worse and possibly lasting longer. I.. if you want, I could join you." Humans all had baths as some point and knew that they could be incredibly relaxing so he definitely wanted to try, but if Gavin preferred them alone then he would wait. 

_ A small smile at the kiss, not for lack of trying for a bigger one, but he was tired after that. "So are you- and while I know you don't mind, I didn't want to bite you while you're still healing. Trust me, I would've been biting a lot more if I wasn't holding back." He said, biting at the air with a more teasing grin. _

_ He knew that if he waited he'd be sore, but also- being sore was kind of a really nice concept. He was definitely going to ask Connor what his opinion of making Gavin unable to walk would be. "Connor," he started, voice very serious as he raised his hand. "Want something for yourself too. You know I would bend over backwards to do something you want to do- don't always do it cause you think I want to, do things for yourself too." He pouted, kissing his cheek. "That being said, I would love if you joined me- though I uh- I'm going to have to go commando now." _

He made his skin go back into play everywhere except for his hands. He kept those exposed and held onto Gavin. He wondered how brightly he could glow and what could affect it. He'd definitely want to experiment with it later to see. 

"I heal much faster than humans, so you don't need to worry about it too much." He was glad of that fact too. It meant he got to do the things he loved (hah) more sooner than normal. It also meant he'd be physically able to go to work sooner too. Sure, not doing anything for a day can be nice, but he can't sit still for too long. 

"I do want to do things. Like, I wanted to make you a fancy dinner, so I did. I wanted to kiss you," he paused to press a quick kiss to his lips, "so I did. It makes it so much better when you also enjoy it as much as I do." He knew that he could talk about things he'd like, or things he wanted to do and Gavin would listen. Not only that, but he'd be interested in it for him. It made him feel warm with affection. 

"Ah, right. I should have thought to pull those down too." He was definitely very pleased that Gavin had come without him touching him there. He'd make a note about how he liked it rough with anal sex. 

_ Noticing the hands, Gavin couldn't help but lay his over Connor's. The glow was so damn pretty, and even if he couldn't interface, seeing it made him feel more loved than he could express.  _

_ "I know I know, but still- least I could do is wait til you're fully healed before trying to see how many bites I can leave before your patience runs out." He was teasing, of course, and eventually moved to sit up and the quick kiss. Yeah ok- hips and arse sore, he probably really did need to soak. _

_ "Alright- I just- I love you a lot and- you do a lot for everyone. You deserve to be pampered too dork." He said, reaching a hand over to mess up Connor's hair. He was happy Connor felt comfortable enough with him to be honest, and he was able to be honest back. _

_ "We both should've, but oh well. I don't think I've done that since- phck- I was in academy?" He went a bit red at that, moving to stand and shoulders tensing at the flicker of pain. "Can you make sure the coast is clear? I uh- don't want either of us dying from embarrassment today." _

"I doubt my patience would ever run out, though my urge to do more would definitely be high." Connor chuckled. He moved to stand, doing so slowly. He felt incredibly relaxed just being around Gavin. 

He kissed his cheek before grinning, "I love you too. I have often found that I do experience a different type of pleasure when I do things that makes others happy. I enjoy when I can make someone smile." It wasn't uncommon for him to bring small gifts to the other officers if he thought they'd like it.

He moved to the door and opened it, peaking his head out. The TV was turned up much higher than it needed to be and knew Hank would probably stay there as long as he could, just in case. He let out a soft snort. "Coast is clear, Hank's watching TV." He said, turning to Gavin. 

_ "Mmm, maybe we'll have to play with that some time." He meant that to both comments, thinking of a couple things they could do when they had time. Maybe they had time in the bath to actually talk about this. He was smiling the whole time, feeling well distracted by the other right now. _

_ He almost wanted to swat at the other's cheeks, but bit his lip to keep from doing so, knowing he'd make a noise and definitely alert Hank. Instead his eyes flicked up, and he laughed softly at that. "Next time my place?" He offered, walking out first and grabbing Connor's hand as he walked past, proud at how smooth that went. _

Connor felt himself blush as Gavin grabbed his hand. He pulled them into the bathroom and shut the door, locking it behind them. 

He had done some work on the bathroom. The appliances were updated and the room was kept clean. Connor had added a rug that held more color as the room was mostly dull. He had made sure to keep everything organized. 

He moved over to the bath and started running the water, turning it to hot. It didn't take much time at all to heat up, so he clogged the drain and went to grab something from under the sink. He knelt down and pulled out a bag. He had ordered epson salt as it was good for relaxing, which Hank definitely needed. It would definitely come in handy now. 

He measured out the amount before pouring it into the bath. He turned back to Gavin and fidgeted slightly. "I am unsure of bath etiquette, do we get in once the bath is completely filled or before?" 

_ So many ideas. Gavin felt oddly wired, pardon the pun, but he watched everything. It definitely had Connor's touch in here. He worked on stripping off his boxers, making a face at the feeling and carefully setting them outside of anywhere they'd step. It wasn't on the front of his mind though as the other knelt down, and Gavin did reach out this time, hand laying on the other's back, between his shoulder blades. _

_ "Oh we definitely need to talk about more than bath etiquette. But- I never get in when it's halfway full, that way it doesn't overflow. Also I always use a bathbomb when I actually have the time to soak, so the water is pretty to just- look at." He waited for the water to rise and took both of Connor's hands. "How do you wanna sit?" He offered first, seeing him become nervous. "We can sit- you in my lap, me in yours, or facing each other, though facing each other means the least cuddling." _

He could imagine Gavin sitting in a bath with a facemask on and a glass of wine in his hand. Connor had looked at facemask but they wouldn't actually do anything for him. He did wonder what it would feel like. Would it feel like just another layer of skin? Would it feel different? What would happen if he had one on and pulled his skin away? 

It only took him a second to find nice bath bombs and order some. He wasn't sure what scents Gavin liked best so he got many different ones. They were high quality too and a good size, he hoped Gavin would like them.

He got paid, and since he didn't really need anything most went to the house. The rest he could spend on whatever he wanted. Hank had tried to tell him he didn't have to use any money in the house, but he had told him it's what he wanted to do with it. 

Connor thought about which way he wanted to sit. He definitely didn't want to be apart so sitting together. He thought about each position, deciding on which one we wanted to do more. "I'll sit in yours if that's fine. Is there anything else I can get to make this bath more relaxing? We have a candle or two under the sink if you want to burn one." 

_ Gavin could see his LED spin yellow for a bit, wondering what he could be thinking so hard about, but then the other spoke up and he could only sigh with affection. Of course Connor wanted to be adorably romantic about it. "Of course it is, and no Con. It's relaxing enough spent holding you. Sometime soon I got to spoil you with an at-home spa day." _

_ He turned to the tub, working on easing himself in first. He swished his hand around in the water to stir in the epson salt more, and then slowly lowered himself in towards the back. Of course he hissed at first- always did at the heat, and it coupled with his hips being sore was a weird feeling. But it passed and he reached up for Connor.  _

_ "Come 'ere. I am- extremely affectionate and gonna make sure every single nerve ending you have works." A playful grin at that; Gavin really did want to just run his hands along Connor's skin again. _

He was definitely interested in what an at-home spa day would entail. He knew some about spa's but not much as it never pertained to a case. He knew of massages and knee he would probably be good at giving them. Maybe Gavin liked massages. 

He watched Gavin got in and worried somewhat when he hissed. Maybe he had been a bit rough. Human anals were very sensitive. He knew that he could change his setting to make his feel more of the pain, but humans had the chance of getting hurt. He would be incredibly impressed if he got hurt while receiving as that was much harder to do. 

"They do," he said, stepping in and lowering himself down, "though I am excited for you to test them." He scooted back so his back was against Gavin's chest. He gently grabbed Gavin's arms and pulled them around his middle and sighed contently. "I love you." He couldn't seem to say that enough.

_ "Connor I'm teasing." He mumbled, smiling lovingly despite it. He definitely pulled to make sure they were as close as possible, hands splaying over Connor's scars protectively. "I love you too." He never get tired of hearing it, saying it- he was filled with so much love for the other he didn't think words would ever be enough to express it. _

_ But at least he could say it now, and he was very happy with this. Slowly he moved his hands up the other's chest, kissing the other's shoulder now, a 'love you' with each kiss. His own body did melt a bit, and when the water seemed high his hand moved to point to the handles. "Can you reach forward and turn it off please?"  _

_ He really did plan to talk about limits tonight, at least wanting to know Connor's. He was just debating on how to bring the topic up. Did he comment on the other's nervousness, or the fact he actually felt sore this time and very much enjoyed it? Or should he let the other make an opening? He didn't want Connor to feel like he needed more(or couldn't get more if he wanted to), but it was a conversation better had while they weren't out of their heads with want. _

He couldn't help the sounds of happiness when Gavin kissed him. He felt at peace like this. It all felt perfect. He was experiencing so many new things with the person he loves. He wanted to keep doing new things with Gavin. He also knew that he'd want to do these things again and again, never getting bored of them. 

He did as he was told and reached forward, turning the water off. He instantly went back to leaning against Gavin. If you thought about it, baths were a bit odd. Sitting in a giant container filled with hot water and salt. It honestly sounded like someone cooking themselves more than anything. He couldn't deny how nice it felt though. 

When he had to jump off Jericho, the water had been freezing cold. It wasn't pleasant at all, and it didn't help that he was the reason they had to jump in the first place. 

But sitting in this water was nice. It wouldn't really do anything for him, but the warmth and closeness to Gavin was comforting. He'd definitely have to take baths more often, especially if Gavin would be in them. 

He watched Gavin's face as much as he could at his angle. "What are you thinking about? You have that look on your face when you can't decide something." It was adorable to see his thinking face though. 

_ Smiling at the sounds, Gavin was very tempted to keep up the kisses. His thumbs did rub into the skin beside each scar very gently, not dipping under the water yet. He liked baths cause of the warmth, able to just melt into the water and feel it soak in.  _

_ But now, he realized this gave him a reason to hold onto Connor in water without feeling guilty. At being called out his hands stilled for a second, and he pouted, eyes smiling despite the face. "I'm becoming that easy to read? Man I have to start practicing my resting bitch face again then." _

_ He realized he was deflecting and pressed a kiss right on the back of Connor's neck. "Well, since you asked- I was wondering- how to start this conversation- but I guess bursting right into it is one way." Another kiss and then Gavin laid his head on the other's shoulder. "I want to know what your limits are Connor. And set up- some kinda safeword system. Not that I needed it tonight, oh phck no, I enjoyed every second of that and you can be a lot rougher with me if you want. But- I think you'd be less cautious and worried about making a mistake if we had one in place." His heart sped up, nervous of course, but it's the furthest he got in a while. And it did matter a lot to Gavin. _

He definitely was glad to hear that Gavin had liked how rough he was. He knew from his reactions, but it was good to hear him say so. He pulled up information on safeword systems so he could get a good idea. 

"Yes, that would be a good idea." He let his hands rest on top of Gavin's. "I see that using colors is very popular and also having a physical signal too." He went through a few more articles. "It also suggest that you use a word that is memorable and literally easy to say."

"It is also important to know whether the word means complete stop or slow down." He was so glad he could look things up without even having to move. 

"As for my limits, I'm unsure. I don't really know what I don't like as I haven't done much. What I have done, I very much enjoyed." He was definitely willing to try different things. He knew that Gavin would be understanding and patience with him. He also knew that it wouldn't affect them if he didn't like something. 

_ "Preferably, and we have to figure out what you prefer as well, but I'm used to the color system and I have a bell chain for a physical signal, though I can do something else if you have other ideas. I just- feel the color system is better- having the 'yellow' option when asked is nice." He couldn't explain without worrying Connor that he only ever used yellow. For various, not all good, reasons. _

_ "And that's fine if you don't know yet. You will find out but- I just- thought it was important to start talking about now. You know I will never be mad for saying no to something- that all being said- are you ok with hurting me?" It seemed like a good time to ask as any. "I will be absolutely honest Connor, I am very much a masochist. I can give back if you want it back, I've been told I'm very attentive with a crop, but that's- very much something that's an instant on switch." _

_ His eyes opened, watching Connor's LED for any signs of discomfort, and his face, wanting to see any micro-expressions to latch onto. He wanted to be able to read Connor someday, and he knew it would take more effort, Connor was so much more subtle. But he was up to the challenge. _

He made sure he wouldn't forget the color system. It was definitely a very good system as it had a middle ground. "The color system works great, as does your bell chain." 

"This is definitely a very important conversation, I'm glad we are having it." He did have a few ideas he already wanted to try, some being more vanilla while others not so. 

"I did notice that about you," Connor said with a chuckle, "I am not sure how I feel about receiving but I definitely can give. I can change the amount of strength I can have if I get too worried that I will hurt you more than you'd like. I normally keep my strength at max at all times, just in case I need it for some reason." 

He decided to share an idea that he was particularly interested in, "I do have one I'd like to try. It's shibari, and I'd be the one doing the tying. I have found that many of the knots are quite beautiful in a way. Of course, if you aren't interested we don't have to."

_ "Next time we get to my place I'll have to get all my stuff out- I haven't had someone I've fully submitted to in- phck- a while." There was so much he wanted to show Connor, and his hands reflected his excitement, fingers tapping on Connor's skin in light touches. _

_ "Yeah same- I'd offer ideas of what to try but, I don't have off til the weekend and if I go to work with all of them being things you're into- I'll be miserable to deal with at work without you." He grinned at that, squeezing the other's sides at that. _

_ "Keep it at max til we find out what's too much- both for you and me. I mean, I'm fine with bleeding as long as we plan for the mess it causes. I would... Really... Uh..." He trailed off, hiding his face now. Later- think of it later. Thankfully the other had an idea that effectively shut down his head anyways. _

_ "Oh it's been a while since someone's tied me up properly like that. You know- that's something you can get away with at work too- I can definitely wear the harness for you, under a nice button up, so you'd be able to feel the ropes anytime you brush against me, or if I bent over they'd expose-" He cut himself off, face red and in Connor's shoulder. _

_ "Very much interested. Very much." He moved to smoothing his palms over the other's skin instead. _

He wondered what all Gavin had, and how he had figured all of this out. He hoped it was good experiences though knew it wasn't like that for everyone. He was so glad he got to do this with Gavin. 

He let one of his hands fall into the water and land against Gavin's thigh. He rubbed soft, slow circles with his thumb. He hadn't noticed before, but he didn't know if he would get 'fishys' on his fingers if his hands stayed in the water long enough. 

He tilted his head to better see Gavin. He knew Gavin was going to say more on the topic of pain but he trailed off. He knew he'd tell him once he wanted to. 

He definitely felt a rush at the idea of Gavin wearing the ropes to work. That did remind him though, "are you an exhibitionist?" It still fascinated him how everyone was so different, even androids had their own preferences and kinks. 

_ There was a jump at the touch, and again Gavin was glad this was a bath and not a shower. That little gasp he gave off would've came with a mouthful of water. It felt nice though and it did help him to relax again, his own hands going up his chest. _

_ Again, a curiosity burned in him about the other's chest, and his own. How Connor would react to nipple piercings if Gavin got them. His chest wasn't that sensitive, but he heard piercings made that area more sensitive. Then he thought about clamps, and they'd probably run into problems then. _

_ At the question, Gavin shrugged. "It depends honestly. Like- if we're in an area to be watched, I don't mind. If we're fooling around, like in the parking lot, I don't mind either... If it had been anyone other than Hank that caught us, I wouldn't have moved unless you wanted me to. However there are a couple people I just- don't want caught by. Fowler, Hank, kids- and Tina. That goes either way, by the way- so if you want to try that out someday, I'm sure I can find a club that would appreciate us." _

Connor smiled at the sound and pressed a kiss to Gavin's cheek. He leans his head against Gavin's and closes his eyes. It felt so nice to feel Gavin's hands against his skin. It did make him shiver in a good way. 

He blushed at the memory of Hank catching them. He definitely didn't like that, but he did like the idea of getting caught. He imagined it was someone else that caught them and Gavin had kept going. Yep. He definitely liked that idea. 

"I agree, getting caught by them would not be pleasurable, though I do enjoy the idea of getting caught or being watched." He also liked the idea of almost getting caught. 

"Do you have any kinks you'd like me to know about right now? Or any you'd like to try at some point?" There were so many kinks that existed. If you could think of it, someone probably has it. 

_ Really, he was going to smack his head off a desk later, but his man ran before he could stop it. "If it's getting caught, I bet we can manage to get a patrol or two together." Oh he had too many ideas. He could even volunteer to do some patrol work once everything cooled down, wear his uniform again, see how Connor responded. _

_ Other kinks- so many things flew to his head. Making choices was terrible when there were too many. But he finished his thought from earlier, quietly with hands stilling and pressing into skin. "I would- really like to be unable to walk sometime soon. Not exactly a kink other than you are really fucking strong and that's really, really nice. And- erm." He was going to deny the fact he whined, pressing his face down into Connor's shoulder to hide it. _

_ Connor could definitely see the red on his ears though. "Goes with the uh, whole 'almost getting caught' thing, but maybe one late shift, I could- suckyouoffunderthedesk." Gavin was torn between regretting existing as the kinkiest man he knew of, and not melting fully into the water. _

He could definitely make that happen. He also wouldn't mind having to carry Gavin when he could walk. He was so glad that his strength didn't scare Gavin, instead doing the opposite. He had worried that that would be an issue even in everyday life. He could be as gentle as he wanted, but he could also destroy things with ease. He himself had sometimes been frightened by his own strength. 

It was adorable to see Gavin so flustered. He loved seeing his face go red, and Gavin trying to hide it. It was honestly so unfair how perfect Gavin is. Him having imperfections and issues just made him more perfect. Those imperfections made him alive. 

It didn't take him long at all to know that he very much liked that idea. He'd have to stay silent or risk getting caught. The desk wouldn't hide much either, but that made him more interested. It would definitely test his self-control. 

"I would enjoy that, all of your ideas. I'm sure I can make you unable to walk, and if I can, I'll find ways to show my strength if you want." He wasn't sure what he could do, but he'd definitely do so once he did. 

"I do like the idea of you sucking me off under my desk. I would caution you to be careful to not hit your head into the desk." Hitting his head would be both painful, and alert someone.

_ "Phck- I adore you- I love you- you're too much." He started to mumble, arms now just wrapping around Connor and spilling affection into his skin. He quickly moved then, shifting to try and get a kiss to Connor's lips. Unable to do so he settled for his cheek. _

_ "You're very creative babe, I know you can find ways to show off, more than you already do. Hands so strong yet treat me so gently- I love how gentle you can be too you know." He was definitely thinking of the hand rubbing circles into his thigh to calm him. _

_ "Of course, and you've been seen placing your hands on your knees when they remain idle too long," or at least Gavin noticed that. It was something a lot of androids did, even after deviancy. Watching Markus's speech was so weird for a moment, because some people stood stock photo still. The idea was quickly pushed out of his head though, and instead Gavin kissed the other's cheek again, ending up more at his jaw. "Wouldn't be too odd to have one hand on your 'knee' that late into the night, just doing paperwork." _

He returned the kiss and put his hand over Gavin's, but he kept the hand on Gavin's thigh where it was. 

It was like a test for him, keeping his strength at max. It meant he had to work harder to be gentle. He loved being able to throw a ball for Sumo farther than people, but still be able to hold a butterfly. It was nice to have control over his body. 

He hadn't really noticed he did that, but once Gavin mentioned it it became clear. If he had to think hard, normally about emotions, then he out all his power behind that, so things he didn't need would stop. Normally it wouldn't happen if he just had to think of scientific facts, it was when emotions came in that it happened. 

"That is true, I would definitely like to do that. Other than not being able to walk, is there anything else? It can be big or small things that you enjoy." He was so glad that he had a perfect memory, so he'd never forget anything Gavin liked or didn't like. 

_ "This is- not a conversation we should have while I still have to go into work and can't give in." Gavin whined at that, now regretting being stuck behind Connor cause he couldn't kiss him and shut him up from this angle. "There are lots of things I enjoy, but- and I can't believe I'm saying this- the best thing we should do when we have time is head to a club. That way you can get ideas for what you want to try too." _

_ He started to trace little hearts into Connor's skin, and realized he wasn't feeling sore except for the bruises. Which was the point of those. "One of these days, I need to get- everyone together- and we should have a classic sleepover party. Filled with all the question games- I think you'd get a kick out of top ten me." It was a bit random, but if they played that, he knew Tina would bring up kinks just to win. It was a lot less embarrassing to admit it in a game than just outright. _

It would be fun to go to a club, especially when it isn't because of work. He needed to get Fowler and Hank a gift, he reminded himself. He very much enjoyed what happened because of the case, though the case itself was a bit heart-breaking from what he heard. 

He didn't really want Gavin to go back to work so soon after so much stress, but he wasn't going to stop him. He'd probably do the same, he'd throw himself into his work. 

"I've never been to a sleepover, or played any games of those types. I've never heard of top ten me, either." He had brought it up to Hank, but he had said it's much more fun when there was more than just the two playing. He wanted to experience everything he had missed since he didn't get to grow up. 

"I suppose a better question is what you do not like." That was probably easier to answer anyway. 

_ It didn't surprise Gavin that Connor hadn't had the time to play those games. He thought of grabbing his phone before realizing it was still in Tina's room. "Top ten me is for like, small groups of people- most I've done it with is four. Everyone takes turns trying to guess one person's top ten. They confirm however many guesses everyone else got right, and then you move to the next person. Whichever one of you has the least correctly guessed in the top ten gets to pick the next subject, but also has to reveal their top ten first. If all top ten get guessed, you're out- or if it's just two people you lose." _

_ Gavin chuckled at the comment. "Probably, but yeah- I used to do patrols with Tina and would play top ten me to pass the time. Which means she can probably kick my ass in the game but oh well." That sparked an idea. "Shit, what's today's date?" He asked, knowing Tina's birthday was vaguely around the corner. It had been a while since he and Tina hung out, and she liked Connor. This could work. _

Top ten did sound very interesting. It would be a good game to learn more about his friends and Gavin. He didn't know if any of the other officers thought of him as a friend though. He knew going up and asking would be a bit odd. 

"That also means you can kick her ass as well." He was glad Gavin had Tina as his friend. Their interactions were interesting to watch. He knew friendships we're all different depending on the people, but he hoped one day he'd have as close of a friend as Gavin has with Tina. "Today is April 15th, 2039" 

_ Next week- specifically Thursday. He had to see if he could get everyone on Saturday or Friday to crash at someone's house and carpool in. "Next Saturday or Friday, not the one coming up- do you have off?" He was excited, fingers tapping again. He pressed soft kisses into the skin, needing to vent out the excitement. Yeah he still had to get Tina time off, but he was sure he could convince Fowler to give them the time off. Him, Connor, Tina, Chris- maybe Chris's wife. Maybe Hank too, though they were all gonna drink at some point and that wasn't a good idea. _

_ "Or would you want off? Tina's birthday is next Thursday, and we could all hang out at her place or mine." He'd have to deep clean his apartment. "We'd probably play those games then, and I know Tina would love if you joined in." _

It was adorable to see Gavin so excited. He couldn't seem to stop smiling when he was around Gavin. Hank had once said if he made a face too long that it would stay like that. He wouldn't mind if his face got stuck like this. 

It almost made him laugh that Gavin was planning for Tina's birthday. She seemed the type to be happy with whatever happened even if she didn't plan it herself. "I'm sure I can get any day off with what happened." He knew Hank would try to get him to stay home as long as he could. If he even expressed interest in staying home, Hank would fight anyone who tried to stop him. 

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to impose, especially on a birthday. I know those hold great meaning to humans." He also knew some people didn't care to celebrate while others went all out. 

"I guess I have a birthday too, though it's more like an activation day." He remembered waking up the first time. He went through tests and then was sent on his first case, all within 24 hours. He had succeeded his mission, but he still remembered the guilt as he walked away from Daniel.

_ "Ya you know what, fair." With everything that happened, Gavin probably needed a week off. He was only going to take a day off but oh well. He had so many years left to burn and he was going to burn brightly. "You wouldn't be imposing. Tina likes you, trust me. I think she'll be tickled that you wanna join the crew to have fun." _

_ Gavin fell oddly on that scale. He used to celebrate with people, but soon it became just another day, as he was more focused on work than anything else. He wouldn't mind getting fucked up this year, but that was far off. "Oh- when is it? I would love to do something for you too."  _

_ Ok- water was turning cooler. Gavin wiggled a bit, pulling Connor closer to steal his warm. "We should also get out soon and actually shower. I don't want to turn into a prune- prunes don't have lips to kiss every inch of their boyfriend." He teased, moving his hands to Connor's knees then to try and get a grip on the sides of the tub. _

He would definitely go. The games would also help them to get to know him. He was pretty much an open book, but still. He just never saw a reason to hide anything. Sure, he didn't announce everything about himself, but if someone asked he'd answer. "I'd love to go."

"August 18th, I have only been activated for eight months." He knew Hank would want to do something special for his first birthday. Since Kamski had android food, he'd probably get a cake to eat. He knew there were many types of cakes, so he didn't know what his favorite flavor was yet. 

The water was cooler than before. He moved forward slightly and opened the drain. He stood up and turned to offer a hand for Gavin. 

_ "Awesome, phck yes. This is going to be great, tomorrow I'll hound Fowler into giving Tina and Chris one of those days off and we'll all be able to- hell yeah." He was definitely very excited- he hadn't had time to just hang out with anyone in ages. Well, one guy not included.  _

_ One guy who was trying to help him up. "Shit we're both autumn dudes. Shared scarf dates for the win." He smiled, taking the other's hand and moving comfortably. There were dark purple hand marks on his hips but he wasn't sore anymore. "Damn, and I have to cover these up at work. Sad." He could wear lose, low hanging pants, but Gavin wasn't that sloppy with his clothing unless he was undercover. He could also wear booty shorts. 'Connor wouldn't be there, not worth it.'  _

"I am excited to have my first sleepover." Staying with Gavin didn't seem to fit the word sleepover. Sleepover implied just friendship, and games. He wasn't sure what the correct term would be. 

Connor gently touched the bruises. He couldn't help but feel proud. He was the one that left those, and Gavin liked it. He was glad they now had a system to let the other know if it was alright. He wouldn't need to worry about being too rough. Gavin's neck was also still bruised. "I did leave quite a lot on you."

_ "Hell yeah, I'll call and make sure Tina is good with the idea." At the gentle touch, Gavin rumbled, a pleased little sound at the touch. He adored walking around, looking very owned, he loved remembering the marks and how he got them. If Connor had to stay home for several days and Hank kept him from visiting, he'd have reminders to press into, to know Connor was there. _

_ Gavin realized he tended to be a physical person. "Mmm, good. Very obvious I'm taken then, and I don't have to worry about breaking anyone's heart." One terrible attempt to wink later, he couldn't help the laugh. To be fair, no one had been flirting with him except for the one android in his apartment building, and even then Gavin was pretty certain it was a 'hey I'm scared' thing than actual interest. _

_ Arms wrapped around Connor and Gavin just settled for a hug. "Love you Con." He mumbled, knowing they needed towels. Hank was probably worried at this point. _

He didn't know what he would need to bring, so he'd definitely need to do some research. He would also make sure to get Tina a gift, though he wasn't sure what.

He couldn't help but chuckle at the wink, "so cute," he mumbled into the hug. He was so glad that Gavin was also physically affectionate. He would ask how he felt about PDA as some people didn't like it. 

"Love you too," he pulled back and reached over for a towel. He grabbed one and handed it to Gavin before grabbing another. He toweled his hair before moving on to the rest of him. 

His hair fell into his face, but he left it there. He didn't mind it being more messy, though he'd keep it pushed back when at work. He was also very excited to get new clothes with Gavin. 

_ Gavin did the same, toweling off his head and then the rest of himself. He did press on the bruises, feeling them ache just slightly, and really he could fall asleep standing up like this. His hair he did try to press back, only because he hated having it tickle him, but with only water... It was very messy anyways, the soft wave it had very prominent now. _

_ He then wrapped the towel around his waist, looking up to Connor. "Can you go out first and get a plastic bag or something to put my boxers in please? I will meet you in your room." He reached up, playing with the other's hair and smiling. "Messy hair looks good on you." He wondered if Connor was good with PDA- he seemed fine with it when they were sitting and Gavin just laid his lap on Connor's leg. More things to talk about. _

Connor blushed and leaned into the touch. He also liked how Gavin looked. He pressed a quick kiss before stepping out of the bath and wrapped his towel around himself. 

He helped Gavin out, "thank you. I'll grab something." He made sure that Gavin was good before walking out. 

Hank was watching a movie and eating popcorn. He looks up when Connor comes closer. 

"You two done?" Hank throws a piece of popcorn at him.

Connor catches the popcorn and eats it. "For now, how's the movie?" Hank turns it down to a normal level. 

"Good, but I'm getting bored of it, so I'll probably watch something else. Don't forget to drink some thirium." Hank says as Connor walks into the kitchen. 

Connor nods and grabs a bag and a bottle. It was one of the things Kamski had sent home with him. He opened it and drank most before walking to his room. 

_ "Thank you babe." He waited a moment before grabbing his boxers, going into the other's room when the cost was clear. Really, he didn't want to put clothes back on but he would, just pulling his pants on and wrapping the boxers with his shirt. He didn't need it- he'd just wear Connor's hoodie. _

_ Sitting on the bed, he made sure to clean up for Connor before grabbing his phone. As the door opened he looked over, smiling at the other. "Thank you thank you." He set the phone down, getting up to meet Connor and wrap his arms around him. He wanted to be close. The fact he had to go home sucked. _

He gladly hugged back, pulling him close. He stayed there for a minute before pulling back and walking to his dresser. He pulled out pajama pants and pulled them on. He collected the towels and put them in a hamper. 

"Here you go," he handed the bag to Gavin. He pulled him into a gentle kiss. It was slow but still full of passion. He gently held him, placing one hand on Gavin's chest, feeling his heart beat. 

"You are so beautiful, and kind, and amazing, and caring," he kept mumbling while kissing. He wanted to tell him how much he loves him. Expressing emotions were hard as it was still hard to identify what he was feeling. 

_ Enjoying the warmth, he nearly whined when the other pulled away, but was glad to put the dirty clothes in a bag. He didn't expect the kiss but definitely melted to it. His hands settled around Connor's middle again, palms flat on his back to just hold on. The hand on his chest was sturdy and the thought of never leaving right here was so beautiful. _

_ The words however completely wrecked him, unable to think of disagreeing right now. "Says the guy who's my hero, in every way." It was a back-of-the-mind realization that he didn't even want to argue Connor on anything. If it was anyone else- Tina, Elijah, anyone- he would've argued and fought the words. He knew later he still would. But he didn't want to right now, or even try, instead kissing back as best he could. _

_ He did have to breath though, and didn't move away, just on his tiptoes so that he could rest his forehead on Connor's. "Love you so much." He mumbled, moving his hands up. _

He didn't consider himself a hero, but his heart melted coming from Gavin. He did what he thinks is right even at the risk of his own life. 

He closed his eyes and smiled, "I love you too." He felt emotional, mostly in a good way. It was still shocking that he almost died. He didn't know what he'd do if he saw Gavin almost die. "I love you so much." He didn't want to ever let him go. 

"Do you want to spend the night, or do you have to go home?" He kept his hand over Gavin's heart, and the other rested on his waist. 

_ There was time to answer that much, much later. Right now he just wanted held, to hold, never moving away from Connor. Yeah there was a lot of things he should be doing but he couldn't care less, feeling hands on his heart and waist, Connor's breath mixed with his. _

_ Both were so alive and he was so happy for this. "Mmf, what I have to do and want to do are two very different things. But I have to go home, do my routine, get ready to go into work tomorrow, pet Bastard and Doa. They're probably ready to rip something up by this point. Of course I want to stay though." Leaning up to steal another kiss, he hummed happily. "Pictures when I get home?" _

_ There was a brilliant idea to update his Insta- and he couldn't wait to take that photo. Maybe he'd link Connor to it- no that would be cruel. _

Connor slowly opened his eyes, but not moving away. He gladly kissed back slowly. He didn’t want this moment to end. He felt so warm and content like this. Being this open, this emotionally vulnerable is hard but he trusted Gavin with his whole heart. He knew he could say the truth and Gavin wouldn’t judge him. He knew that he was new to everything. Gavin had experience with this. He didn’t know if Gavin had been in love before, maybe he had. Everything that they would do together would be new, and that did scare him. He had a high chance of messing up, and he really didn’t want to mess this up. This felt more important than any mission he ever had. This, being with Gavin, wasn’t a mission though. 

He took in a shaky breath and kissed Gavin again, softer than before. “I don’t want you to leave, but I know you have to. I just… I want you to know that I will mess up. I’m going to make mistakes and… I’m scared. Not of being with you, I love being with you. I’m scared that because I haven’t even been alive for a year that I’ll do something I obviously shouldn’t. I know I should have been more careful at DC, but I wasn’t, and I almost died. I don’t know how to be alive.” It was hard to say. Markus and the others always seemed so confident, so sure of themselves. They knew what it meant to be alive, they knew what they wanted. 

Connor had become fully deviant when he was holding a gun to Markus. All he had known was that he had to complete his missions. Now he had no one to tell him what those are. Some are obvious, solve a case, make sure Hank doesn’t drink too much, feed Sumo. Those he can do, and he wants to do them. He didn’t realize how many options he really had. He didn’t want to act like a machine, but he was worried that that is what he is. He knows he’s not human, he’s alive, but he was still made. 

He knew what he wanted though. He wanted to be with Gavin. He wanted to take care of Sumo, and Hank. He wanted to go to work and help protect the city. He wanted to help his people in any way he can. He doesn’t want to go back to not feeling. There’s still the fear that Amanda will take over, force him to do things he’d rather die than do. He doesn’t want to disappoint anyone. 

_ There was a moment of blinking before Gavin moved his hands from Connor's back and took his jaw. He knew insecurity wasn't something Gavin could cure right now, but it was something he could ease for a moment. Like Connor did with his without realizing it. "Sometimes that is just love Connor. Phck, I'd be lying if I wasn't afraid myself. I love you- something I didn't think I could do. I probably will do things I'll regret too- but even if- even if you're still the guy to put everyone before himself- that's the guy I fell in love with. We'll both change, and in same ways stay the same. But I'm looking forward to that. You are alive, in your own way. And that's enough for me." _

_ Gavin pulled the other into a kiss again. "Love you- every part of you, every beautiful, brave, strong, thoughtful-" Each word carried a kiss and a smile. "Amazing and caring part of you. You'll have all the time in the world to make mistakes, and a family to back you up while you do so." Now he fully pulled away, taking the other's hand. "Expose your hand." He waited for him to do so, then kissed the palm. "I love you as you are, but that doesn't mean I won't love you as you grow up too. Now. As much as I really want to stay, I really need to go. Unless I steal you from Hank, I need to move away. If I lay down again I'm not getting back up." _

Connor felt himself tear up, but pushed the tears down. It meant so much to hear those words. To hear he was supported unconditionally. He has a family and friends. He has a boyfriend who he loves, and who loves him. He has a job that he loves. He has so much. It's ok to be unsure of himself. That just makes him more alive. The positive emotions showed others that they were alive, but the negative ones proved it to themselves. 

He felt so happy when he pulled back the skin from his hand and Gavin kissed it. It was amazing how much they both already had grown. He knew he'd make mistakes, but so would Gavin. That was ok though, and good. 

"I love you so much." He leaned forward and kissed him before pulling back. "How did I get so lucky?" He couldn't help the small sigh of relief. 

"Alright, I'll walk you to the door." He reached forward and intertwined their fingers. He'd never be bored of touching Gavin in anyway. He could feel the warmth, he could feel that Gavin is alive. 

_ "Hey- that's my line!" He could see the way that cheered Connor up, and was really happy that worked. "We're just two dipshits that happened to be in the right place at the right time, and I think we're both lucky for that." He kissed back and then reached for the hoodie, putting it on before taking Connor's hand again. _

_ "And remember Connor, you have my number- even if I'm in the middle of a shower I will answer your call- that's a promise. You need to talk- I'm here. Now-" He held his hand up, Connor's intertwined with it. Connor's hand was smooth and sturdy, a presence Gavin needed without ever realizing it. "I love you but I think Sumo needs your attention, and I've been hogging it. Ready to walk me out?" _

Connor snorted. They were both definitely dipshits as Gavin put it. He pulled the skin of his hand back on the one holding Gavin's hand. If Gavin was fine with it, he'd definitely make it a habit to hold hands like this. He already loved holding Gavin, but holding him without his skin on his hands was more. He didn't know what it was more of, but it just was. 

"The same goes for you. I am always here and will always answer." He'd put Gavin in his priorities so that his calls or messages would wake up from any level of stasis. He'd never miss a message this way. 

He did need to take Sumo on his walk though, so he opened his bedroom door and walked out, keeping hold of Gavin's hand. 

At the door, he pulled Gavin into a hug. "Love you, message me when you get home, alright?" 

_ Gavin definitely liked holding hands like this, laying his head on Connor's shoulder. "Mmm good. I will definitely message you when I get home. And cat pictures, since you haven't seen the furballs in a while." _

_ Gavin looked to Hank and Sumo as they passed, offering a small wave. Of course he hugged the other tightly, stealing another kiss- Hank would just have to deal with it. "Have a good night Con, take it easy alright? You still have tomorrow off right?" Gavin wasn't worried about the case or anything, it was closed up except for the paperwork he just left. He simply was curious to know if the two were heading in. _

"If he goes into work this week I'll shoot him." Hank said not even looking away from the TV. Connor rolled his eyes but smiled. He knew Hank wouldn't actually shoot him, but he'd definitely find something to punish him with. Maybe he wouldn't be allowed to clean at all. 

"I'd love to see them," he had found that he very muched liked cats. He may like dogs more, but cats were still wonderful. If Gavin was an animal he'd definitely be a cat. Not everyone liked them, but others could see how amazing they really are. 

"Make sure to drive safe. And don't forget to eat, and drink plenty of water." He'd also eat a small bit of food after. "Also, take it easy at work. If rather you take a break, but I know you'd rather work." He'd do the same thing in Gavin's position.

_ Gavin couldn't help but snicker at that, grinning to Connor at the empty threat. "Copy loud and clear." He couldn't help but want to take a break too, just because he could spend it with Connor, but it wouldn't be right. He wasn't the one injured, he didn't need the time off. _

_ "I'm sure Doa shares the sentiment. Bastard is well- a bastard, but I'll get some cute images." At the henning, Gavin couldn't help a soft laugh, reaching up for another kiss. "I will I will. You make sure to rest, maybe get," he lowered his voice, barely breathing into the air between them. "Maybe get Hank to the idea of training the dogs or being a dog foster home? To give him something to do." _

_ He pulled back then, smiling and reaching for the door. "Message you when I get home," it was so warm here, and going home would be so cold. Gavin wondered how mad Hank would be if Gavin asked Connor to spend the weekend with him. Not tonight of course but maybe tomorrow.  _

Connor nodded, thinking about how he'd bring it up. It probably wouldn't be too hard, and he knew Hank would at least think about it. 

He really didn't want Gavin to leave, but it wasn't like Gavin could just stay here forever. That did bring up an idea. At some point in the future they'd probably love together. The thought was definitely appealing. He pushed it away for now though, focusing on what was happening currently. 

"Night Reed." Hank said, turning to wave. Connor was incredibly glad that they got along. He didn't know what he'd do if they didn't.

_ "Night Anderson- take it easy too." It was definitely weird getting along with the old man, but he was happy for it. He did respect the lieutenant, and if he got back to the glory of his younger days, that would be amazing. Connor could definitely help with that. _

_ One last kiss to the cheek and Gavin moved out the door, feeling his legs move like trudging through sludge. It wasn't hard to get home once he actually got in the car, and as promised once he got home he sent a message to Connor. _

_ Home at last and holy shit Bastard is attacking me. _

_ Attached was a several second video of the smaller cat attacking Gavin's shoes, Gavin cursing it and then picking it up. "Connor's going to see this- you evil little phck. What do you have to say for yourself." Of course the cat merely mewled, and Gavin's sigh cut off the video. _

_ Insatiable demon cat. guess it's a long night of affection for him now. call you in the morning _

_ Of course there was more sent to him, several hours later. Gavin simply sent a link to an instagram, kittenwithabadge, an 'think you'd like this' attached with it. The newest photo was Gavin in jogging pants that sagged just enough to expose the hand bruises, Bastard on his shoulder and Gavin sitting on his bicycle workout machine, bottle of water in hand and the other holding the phone. It was obvious he used the machine. 'Bastard wouldn't even let me work out without attention. Spending too much time with my boyfriend- maybe!'- was the caption, and of course the first like on it was Tina's account. _

Connor had sat down with Hank after Gavin left. "Gavin and I had thought of an idea." Connor started, watching Hank for any reaction.

"Oh goodie, alright, tell me then." Hank turns his attention away from the TV and to Connor. 

"Well," Connor says, suddenly feeling nervous, "you like dogs. Dogs are also very therapeutic, and we had an idea that you could train dogs or foster dogs." 

Hank didn't say anything for a second and Connor was worried Hank hated the idea. "We are too busy to foster, but yeah. Training dogs does actually sound good. You could do it too if you want." 

Connor could help but grin widely, nodding his head. "I'm very glad that you like the idea! I'm sure you'll love it." 

They continued to watch TV together, chatting about random things. He smiled when he got Gavin's first message, telling him he was home. He felt his heart melt at the video. 

When he got the link he titled his head and opened it. The image sent a spark down him and he quickly stood up, saying a goodnight to Hank before going to his room. 

He made an Instagram account and followed Gavin. He also followed everyone else that he could find (most were in his contacts so it was pretty easy) and followed them. Then he went back to staring at the picture. He liked the image and wondered if he should leave a comment. He didn't know social media etiquette. 

He decided to go with a simple message. 

You look amazing. 💗

He took a screenshot of the images and saved it. He then went to Gavin's other post, screenshoting any that were images of Gavin and liking each post. 

He decided he should post a picture, so he went through until he found one he liked. It was a picture of Connor in the tub with Sumo. He was drenched with water, but he still had a huge smile on his face. Hank was the one who took the picture when he had come in to make sure they were alright. Connor had been trying to give Sumo a bath. 

He didn't know what to add to the caption, so he left it blank. He then wondered if the Jericho crew had Instagram accounts, and when he found them, he followed. All of them instantly followed him back and liked his post. 

_ His phone buzzed with the message, and Gavin didn't even stop the happy noise, spooking Bastard in the process. Of course he immediately followed Connor's account, pausing his post workout routine to rest his upper body on the sink. Much like the table at the breakroom- sue him it was a relaxing stance. _

_ Connor's first post was adorable, and Gavin immediately commented back. _

_ look at the two best boys _

_ He set the phone down, making sure it was full volume, and that was the first night in a while he fully went through his old routine. It felt good, tiring, but good, and he fell asleep quickly, phone close. _


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Normal  
> Lupo: Italicized  
> Text message: Underlined

_ Too close, as his alarm went off in his ear. The morning didn't feel as bad, and Gavin got decently dressed up that day. If to take a picture, that was his own business, but he put on a long sleeved grey button up that fit nicely and black dress jeans, making sure that they ended appropriately. He took a picture, grinning to the camera and sending it to Connor. _

_ Morning babe- just heading out. message me if you get bored or something- gonna ask fowler about giving everyone time off next weekend for her party. and yes ill make sure tina is aware of the party too hah _

_ He ate some fruit and fed the cats, then headed out the door, actually feeling pretty damn good about today. Getting into the office early even, he didn't waste time in looking for Tina, finding the girl and immediately telling her his idea. Of course she approved, admitting that she didn't have anything planned, and Gavin made a group message then. First he informed them all, Connor included, of the plan, then made sure to let them know he was getting Fowler's approval. _

_ Time to actually sart the day, Gavin looked to Fowler's office, seeing him sitting and not on the phone. "Alright T, I'm going. Wish me luck and not a bathroom cleaning compromise." _

_ "Hah good luck!" Tina clapped him on the back, and Gavin shook his head smiling. "Look good by the way!" She called out, knowing several people would look. It made him turn pink and flip her off. _

_ "Just five percent effort, get on my level!" That got a laugh and Gavin turned, walking up to the door. He knocked quickly and briefly, taking a breath as he waited. He tried looking over the office to calm himself, and noticed just how weirdly quiet it was. He was so used to Hank and Connor's chatter that without them it was- odd.  _

_ There were new voices, the android officers Gavin had to guess, but the place was- busy yet... Gavin couldn't believe he thought this, but he missed the dynamic duo being there. He wondered if other's did too. Focusing back to the office, he saw movement; hopefully Fowler wasn't too tired of seeing his face. _

Connor smiled at the comment. He fell asleep looking at the photo. 

He woke up to the text and let out a sigh of happiness. 

Good morning Gavin. Will do, and tell me how it goes.

He goes about his morning routine. He takes Sumo out for a walk, enjoying the cool air. It's pretty peaceful, but he does run into a few androids. 

"You're Connor, right? You freed the androids, and saved all those people in DC!" The android is a AJ700. "My name is Lana."

Connor smiled and reached out to shake her hand. "I am, it's nice to meet you, Lana." It was still odd to be recognized in a good way instead of the deviant hunter. 

Lana bounced on her feet, smiling widely. "You saved my brother! He was at DC and he said you saved him from the fire! Thank you so much!" She pulled Connor into a hug, which he awkwardly returned. 

"I'm glad I could help." He said. He glanced at Sumo. It almost seemed like Sumo was laughing, so he squinted at him before pulling away. 

"Can you sign this?" Lana says, pulling out a notebook. He's never been asked to sign something, but he takes the pen anyway. 

After that the walk is calm and uninterrupted. He sends a quick message about what happened. 

I just got asked for an autograph on my walk with Sumo.

He told Hank about what happened and he laughed, ruffling his hair. He checked his Instagram and was shocked to see how many followers he already had, and being verified. 

He made sure to drink lots of thirium, while he sat with Hank. 

Fowler looked up and saw Gavin. He frowned but waved him in. He knew what stress could do, it's why he gave him time off, but he came in anyways.

_ Opening the door, he couldn't even be phased by the frown. They both knew how stubborn Gavin was, he was a good detective who refused to be kept down. However, he did pause, a ding in his pocket and he recognized it was Connor. He only left sounds on for the other. _

_ Pulling his phone out while standing right there, he read the text with a hold up to Fowler. Of course he didn't hide the smile, easily responding back with one hand. He lived during the 2010s, everyone knew how to do this under the desk while maintaining eye contact with their teachers. _

_ holy shit that's awesome con! ♥️ _

_ He put the phone away, smiling sheepishly to Fowler. "I'd say sorry but we both know that'd be a lie- if it makes you feel any better it was Connor." He didn't shut the door until he was told to, hands in his pockets now. He lacked something to fiddle with, but riding off the positive, he wasn't in an immediate need for it yet. _

Fowler watched with an eyebrow raised. It was nice to see Reed so happy so he would let it go this time. 

"How is he doing? How are you doing?" He asks, resting his elbows on his desk. He'd make sure to check up with Hank. He knew that even with Connor being fine Hank could drink from the stress. Connor being with him would definitely help that though. 

Connor sits with Hank, getting out his yarn. He knew how to knit so he started to learn how to crochet. 

Hank had jokingly called him a grandma. Connor just smiled and kept going. He started to make a chain for a blanket. It would be a bit rough but he was excited to make it. 

_ Gavin shrugged, casual and relaxed, glad Fowler was friendly already. "He's doing great- Anderson's been making sure he's taking it easy and there hasn't been any issues with any of his wounds." There was scarring, but thinking to Connor's arm, the way his skin moved- he was fine in that sense. He knew he could be called out for saying 'wounds' instead of 'damage', but Fowler wasn't going to be the one to do it. _

_ Gracefully ignoring the second question, he moved on. "I actually came in here asking about him- and Chris, and Tina. You think the group of us can get next Friday or Saturday off? It's Chen's birthday, and Connor hasn't been to a party yet- I can take over whatever work that would be slacked off, even do patrols- just-" _

_ A hand raised, rubbing the back of his neck, anxiety finally coming back like an old roommate that passed out at a party and vanished into the void for three days. He knew it was a tell but he wasn't trying to hide or be someone else here. "I think it would be cool if we all had time to just hang out without bringing work baggage to the party."  _

Fowler nodded. He was glad that Connor was ok. He was a great officer, but also a great person. It would be a great loss if Connor didn't come back. He'd probably lose Hank too if that happened. 

At the question he had to pause. He didn't want to say no, but they were some of his best workers. "Sunday would be better, but Saturday works. As long as you all put in some extra time it'll be fine. You, however, you are already supposed to have time off. Stress can kick your ass and I'd rather have you stay home for a few days, than here fucking shit up because yours so stressed." Fowler said, pointing his finger accusingly at Gavin. 

"Don't think I didn't catch you changing the subject. It's important that all of my men are in good shape, both physically and mentally." He had made sure that they all had access to a shrink, and it was even mandatory to go to one if he thought it got too rough. He had seen too many good cops go down because of mental health. 

_ Perking up at getting the day off, Gavin was able to take the scolding in stride, only grinning a bit sheepishly. "I can actually stay away this weekend like I'm supposed to? Or just do paperwork?" A weak offer he knew it. He normally had weekends off but would still find a reason to get back to work then. It wasn't that he needed the overtime- he needed the work. Hated not being busy, not being at work- though the second wasn't too bad when he thought of where else he could be. _

_ Then Fowler continued and Reed looked away. "You're not the first one to get on my case- Anderson let it slip I- passed out- in front of Connor. Between him and E I got an earful." Gavin lowered his voice, now aware of the open door. "But I'm fine- and I have to stop after my shift today or tomorrow to get a proper inhaler in case shit goes that bad again." _

_ He didn't add on that being able to see Connor and not being allowed alone with his thoughts was definitely helping. Or that it was a panic attack to begin with. Fowler was his boss, a guy he respected deeply, and he was the last person Reed wanted to seem weak in front of. _

He understood where Reed was coming from. He remembered the long nights he'd stay working on some case. He had his own problems then that he'd avoid using his work. Hell, he still did that now. Most officers did it too now that he thought about it. But there was something about Reed that really reminded him of himself. 

"If you have to, just do some paperwork, nothing too hard though." He knew there was plenty of paperwork to go around so Gavin could stay busy if that's what he wanted. "It's good that you're getting help. Reed… I know we don't see eye to eye, and you were a pain in my ass, but you're a good officer. If you need something, let me know." 

He was proud of how far Reed had come, how much he changed. He could tell Connor helped. Connor seemed to help change everyone for the better. He did need to collect some money from the bet on when the two would get together. 

_ Oh- Gavin had to really reel in the reaction from the praise, so damn happy it would've hurt to express that smile. Instead he dropped his hand to his pocket, just grinning, pride in his eyes being so obvious. "Will do captain- and thanks." There was a brief pause and Gavin took a breath. 'Not today, he knows you respect him.' _

_ "Paperwork only- got it. Need anything else Captain, or want me to tell Connor or Anderson anything?" He wanted to go now, get the party set up, get back to work- put maximum effort in to pick up the slack for others and make sure this all went perfectly. He would be good and take it easy, but he wasn't going to put all the extra work on Chris and Tina either.  _

_ He thought about planning it at his place. He had a spare room, his room and the couch. Maybe this weekend he could spend time scrubbing the place down. He'd have to ask Elijah about cleaning though. His house didn't light up like a disco so there had to be a way. _

He knew Reed would work harder than he should, but he trusted him to not overdo it. Well, he trusted that he at least wouldn't pass out again. 

"No, I'll message them if I need to. I'll make sure to have a card for Chen." He knew Connor liked to bake so he'd probably make something. It wasn't odd for Connor to bring in goodies for everyone to try. 

"You can go." Fowler says, waving him off. He had his own work to do.

_ The captain simply got a nod and Gavin was gone, immediately out of the office and looking for the others. He pulled out his phone, messaging everyone again, confirming they got Saturday and would have to put in a little extra work to make up for the time off. Then he messaged Tina, not seeing the girl around. _

_ So- my house or yours _

_ well my house is a mess, and it would be great if i could just go home after the sleepover and not have to do anything but get ready for work _

_ Alright, good. Gavin could do this, sending out the address for his place to Chris and then telling everyone it would be at his place.  _

_ Make sure to bring change of clothes. i got the booze and snacks- for everyone _ _ He had to call Elijah anyways. _

_ you cool with everyone being at your place? i havent seen it since last summer _ _ Tina's worry was nice, but he had to do this to get past other things. _

_ just gotta clean that's all. im good. _

_ Sitting down at his desk, he booted up the terminal, and rolled his shoulders. Finishing the paperwork from the last case, he started to tackle other's. It was boring work sure, but some music and a couple coffees got him through it. He did pause at the files for a new case coming in. It looked interesting, and he seen it needed more eyes on it. It was his brand of cases too... 'No. Take it easy. Ask on Monday about this.' _

_ He put it aside with a memo to keep updated on it. _

Connor tried to keep busy, but he felt antsy. He wanted to move around, so he decided to go to the gym. He wouldn't push it but he needed to do something. 

So he started off simple, jogging on the treadmill for fifteen minutes. He got a few looks from others. He kept his LED in so he was easily identified as an Android. He wore a sleeveless shirt and shorts that he could move around in. 

After that he went to the stationary bike for five miles. He was starting to sweat a little bit. To make him fit in better he was able to sweat after prolonged physical labor. He remembered that Gavin had taken a picture during a workout. Maybe that was something that was common on social media. Was he supposed to take a picture? 

He decided to do it. He took a picture of himself smiling at the camera with a thumbs up. He posted it and when back to work, using the weights. He can normally lift over 200 lbs, but he goes with 100 lbs. A few people give him worried glances, but don't say anything. He likes lifting weights, though it really doesn't do anything for him. 

It does help make sure he was functioning properly and at the max. He often felt tired after working out, but he wasn't sure if that was because of his programming or something that happened after he became deviant. 

After the workout, which he did for about two hours, he takes a cab back home, grabbing some of the food that Kamski had given him. He had to drink more thirium every time he worked out, like water for humans. It was really nice to be able to eat it and it taste good than drink it as it normally is. 

_ Eventually the day was completely done with. Of course Gavin checked Insta at one point, and nearly choked on his coffee. Connor was so damn handsome and he could sweat. A deep want settled in his gut to find out if he could drive Connor to sweat in other ways, and he put the phone down and re-read over the last file before responding. _

_ 'can't get any better than perfect' _

_ Needless to say, he was glad to take a break to eat something and clear his head after that. The rest of the paperwork passed quickly, and when it was time to clock out, Gavin shut down. He passed Tina on the way out, grinning to her. "You going to see him~?" _

_ Rolling his eyes at the teasing, he nodded. "Gonna see if he wants to come with me while I look for a new jacket." _

_ "So sweet." Her teasing got a tongue stuck out at her, and Gavin clocked out. He nodded to those he passed, and getting in an elevator with other's wasn't too bad. He did pull out his phone to focus on something besides the stop-start-crowd of the elevator. _

_ Hey connor- you wanna do something tonight? _

Connor smiled at Gavin's comment and the ones left by other people. It was odd how many followers he had. He knew that it was from helping the android revolution. He made sure to reply to a few people, answering some questions. It was honestly so sweet. He noticed he had a few people mention him in posts. A few were hate, but the others made it worth it. 

A few people had drawn him and he felt like crying. They looked up to him, and many people wished him good health after seeing the news. So many people around the world supported them and he couldn't be happier. 

He had shown the drawings to Hank who smiled and patted him on the shoulder. He could tell that Hank was proud of him. 

Markus had also sent him a message, thanking him for saving his life. He wanted Connor to come over again some time to hangout with the Jericho crew. 

The rest of the day went by quickly with spending time with Hank. When he got Gavin's text he sat up quickly. 

I'd love to. Do you have something in mind?

_ Well, I do need to get a new coat, and you mentioned needing to go clothes shopping. If Hank doesn't mind, I'd like to be the one to take you. _

_ Why was his heart racing for something so innocent? Then again he just accepted that talking to Connor got his heart racing more often than not. He was glad he was in his car so he could text while it warmed up. He set up the phone so he could speech-to-text the rest of the conversation. _

_ He also made sure to get a hold of Elijah. He figured he could grab whatever he needed to clean with while shopping, and if Elijah could spare it, he wanted to get Connor some kinda cupcakes he could enjoy at the party. Their conversation was a lot shorter, and Gavin briefly registered that meant his brother was busy. _

_ The brotherly thing to do was to ask, so he found himself having a conversation with him too. Turns out he was just working on the food, and was trying Gavin's idea. It made him a bit proud to know he actually had a good idea the genius liked. _

Connor bounced slightly on the couch, and Hank sent him a glare. 

"Sorry, sorry. Gavin wants to take me clothes shopping! Is that ok?" He asks, standing so he can bounce on his feet. 

"Son… Connor. You're an adult, you can do whatever the hell you want." Hank said, turning to watch him. 

Connor blushed slightly, "true. I just wanted to make sure. So I can?" He asks. 

Hank rolls his eyes at Connor. "Yes you can go clothes shopping with your boyfriend." Hank snorted, "just be home before midnight." 

"Of course!" Connor smiled, before Hank sighed. 

"That was a joke, Connor. You can stay out as long as you want." Hank facepalmed and turned back to the cooking show Connor had put on. 

I'd love to. Is there anything I should bring with?

_ At the question, he couldn't help but laugh a bit. Part of him thought about it honestly, but he couldn't think of anything the other would need. _

_ Just your adorable self. I think there's that thirium soda at the mall too. _

_ He finished up the conversation with Eli before he got to the other's place, taking a turn toward's Hank's.  _

_ I'm a couple minutes out _

_ Gavin turned his music down, making sure nothing was too loud by the time he rolled up. He wondered if Hank's neighbors were curious to the new car stopping by all the time. Elijah sent one more text, this one containing a photo of Elijah's latest attempt and 'here's to the taste test'. _

Connor nodded and looked down at himself. He had changed after the gym into soft clothes. He could probably change, so he went to his room and looked through his drawers. 

"Hank, what should I wear?" He called out, poking his head around the door. 

"Why the fuck are you asking me?" Hank grumbled before standing. Connor smiled at him as he let him into his room. 

It didn't take long for them to decide on an outfit since he didn't have that many options. Hank left the room so Connor could change. 

It was a simple black T-shirt with The Knights of the Black Death on it. He wore tighter black blue jeans. 

He walked back into the living room and got a nod of approval from Hank. 

I am very excited to go shopping with you. See you soon!

He didn't sit down, too excited so he paced until Gavin arrived.

_ It wasn't very long after til Gavin parked in front of the quickly-becoming-familiar house. He shut the door, leaning against the car and debating if he shouldn't just- text Connor to come out or meet him at the door. Deciding was hard but he went up to the door, knocking briefly if only so Hank would have to deal with an excited Sumo. Longer he was distracted, the least likely he was to be doing something stupid. _

_ Hearing Sumo honestly didn't scare him like it did before. 'More things that change'. He did make sure to straighten up his shirt- the top buttons undone yet and he didn't plan to redo them anytime soon- just smoothing out the wrinkles and fussing with his hair. 'This feels like a date pffft.' _

Sumo reacted first, lifting his head and barking. He did start to get up, but Connor was at the door, pulling it open. 

"You two behave, don't steal and don't talk to robot dogs… wait, fuck, shit those exist." Hank mumbled shaking his head. "Just don't steal shit." 

Connor chuckled and pet Sumo who had made it to the door. "We won't, we are both law enforcement, and we have no reason to." Connor said. Hank grumbled under his breath and waved them off. 

Connor turned and smiled at Gavin, kissing him on the cheek.

_ Gavin couldn't hold back the laugh at the comment. He knew Hank was picking on them but it went right over Connor's head. He waved to Sumo, leaning in to pet him before moving away. "We'll be good Anderson. Promise I won't keep him out too late~" He was absolutely being a teasing shit, stepping back when Connor moved out. _

_ He returned the kiss, looking over the other. "You know you effectively distracted me with that Insta post? I didn't know you could sweat but phck that was a very, very welcomed surprise." Gavin held out his hand, wanting to hold Connor's even if it was just to the car. "How's your arm feeling by the way?"  _

Connor blushed and took Gavin's hand, giving it a little squeeze. "It's feeling really good, I can barely tell the difference." He swings their joined hands as he shuts the door. 

"I can. Cyberlife wanted me to be able to be almost exactly like a human, and since my job requires strenuous effort they thought it would make me look more alive if I sweat." He could turn it off if he wanted to, but he didn't mind. He wasn't sure if any other models could sweat. 

"You also posted a selfie after working out, so I thought it was appropriate. I'm still very new to social media, but I think I like it. I've already gotten lots of messages and questions. A few people have even drawn me." He hadn't realized how much he would affect the world when he went to the tower. He knew it would help, but he didn't know how much. 

He'd be lying if he said he didn't like the attention, but he wanted to use it for good. Whether that be by making someone smile or spreading awareness. He would use his position to try to better the world.

_ Pausing before they got to the car, he couldn't help the damn sparkle in his eyes, looking to Connor as he spoke. Sure, he had questions as to what Connor sweat out, if it helped cool him off, and all kinds of other things. But hearing the other had basically fanart, and all the interaction- _

_ "Connor that's so fucking cool! See- I knew I wasn't the only one who saw you as the hero you are babe." He reached up, wrapping his arms around Connor's neck and fuck the shirt, it could wrinkle for all he cared. "If you ever have questions about it I can answer them. It's scary as hell when you first start off- and people can be real asses on it, but I think you'll like being able to share all the pictures of cute dogs I know you have." _

_ He couldn't help but kiss the other's cheek, reaching up, and he really hoped Hank wouldn't kill him for not waiting til they got into the car or left. Gavin wasn't popular for anything other than being a cute guy with cats on it. He liked his Insta, but he knew better than to put a name to the face. People really just called him 'kitten' on Insta. _

Connor smiles and wraps his arms around Gavin. "It is nice to see that I have done more good than bad. I have gotten some hate already, but that's to be expected. Most are from humans, but a few are androids who knew of the androids I...hunted." He frowns at himself. He knew everyone at Jericho had forgiven him, but he wasn't sure if he had fully forgiven himself.

He did have a very large file of pictures of dogs. They were mostly Sumo, but he did have a few of dogs he met at parks. When he first learned about dog parks he was over the moon and had dragged Sumo and Hank to one. When he got in he sat on the ground and gladly pet all the dogs than ran up to him. He'd probably post more dog pictures than pictures of himself. 

At that he picks a picture of Sumo laying in the sun at a park and posts it. "Speaking of, Hank agrees that training dogs is a good idea!" He was really proud of how far Hank had come. He knew there would be bad days, but he hoped he could make those bad days a little better.

_ Gavin could hear the way he paused, and pulled back to pull up Connor's hands. They weren't going to talk about that today, he knew that was a long walk to get past, and even Connor needed a break from the speeches. "You're very much a hero Connor- I'm really happy I'm not the only one who's telling you that now." _

_ That was good enough, and Gavin pulled Connor to the car, opening the door for him. As the other continued about Hank, he actually was pretty happy. Three people thought his ideas were good today. He couldn't help but feel the same happiness as he did earlier. "Well phck- that's good. I really think he'll like that." _

_ He let go of Connor to get in on his own side, sliding into the driver's seat. Elijah had sent another text and image, but Gavin ignored it for now. _

Connor got in and made himself comfortable. It did mean a lot that Gavin seemed to understand him, even the words he didn't say. He didn't feel like he had to keep anything hidden, Gavin knew what he had done. He knew and he still loves him, it's the most he could have ever asked for. 

"Thank you, and I do too. If I have any extra time I might join him sometimes. I very much enjoy animals of all species, but I very much love dogs. I have been compared to them many times." A few of the other officers had made the comparison, and when he asked Hank about it he said it was a good thing. 

"Are you looking for anything else other than a jacket?" He wanted to make sure Gavin got everything he needed before they started looking at clothes for himself.

_ "Oh if you join him I want pictures- you and police dogs is going to be a great combo. And I mean- yeah Connor you got big pup vibes. It's the puppy eyes and the way you tilt your head- the way you trail Anderson- also just very 'good boy' vibes too." He started the car, ignoring the texts to get to the mall. He didn't need to text and drive as well as not wear his seat belt. He was scared of seatbelts, not completely irresponsible. _

_ "I got to get some cleaning stuff to clean up my spare room and tv room before the party- but I'm taking you to the mall so you can find your own style. Plenty of stores there, we can walk around and try out various things." It was so cliched, but Gavin was excited to have a day just to see Connor find his own sense of fashion. He had to make sure not to let his influence the other. He hadn't seen him in his actual 'I want attention' and not casual wear. He had to wear something for the other eventually. _

_"I know which store I want to go in for my jacket- so don't worry on that. Tonight's more for you than me Con. Trust me my day's been- actually really good."_

He would definitely take pictures of the dogs and he had no doubt Hank would take some of Connor with the dogs. Hank had gotten a lot of photos of Connor with dogs, along with other things like baking. 

Connor had brought it up as to why he took so many. It broke his heart to hear his answer. Hank had told him that he didn't have many pictures of Cole and he didn't want to make the same mistake with Connor. 

"If you'd like help cleaning, I'd be glad to do so." Connor offers watching the world go by. He liked seeing the world and he hoped one day he'd get to travel a little. He wondered if Gavin wanted to too. 

"I'm not sure what I will enjoy wearing, so I'm glad you are here to help." He didn't want to look bad, and he knew Gavin would make sure he didn't wear something that didn't look good on him. 

He had a few ideas, but he was excited to see all his options. He knew he needed outfits for different occasions such as going out with Gavin, clothes to wear around the house, and many other situations. 

_ "You don't have to clean two places Con-" He stopped, swallowing as he remembered the list. The spare room. He didn't want secrets from Connor but- there was still the stupid worry of Connor taking it the wrong way. He couldn't talk about it yet either- days spent in a crowded hellish blue and afraid- 'What other way to take it, there's blue blood from the days of the revolution-' He shut the thoughts down, all of them, taking a deep breath and remembering the inhaler he needed to get. "I have a lot of cleaning to do anyways. I let things go for too long cause I didn't want to deal with them- you know- like how I do. I'll get to it this weekend sometime don't worry." _

_ At the comment, he couldn't help but smile just a bit. "I don't know how much 'help' I'll be. My casual style is 'background character for fight club movie' and my not-so-casual is uh- hah. Well maybe I'll buy a new outfit just for you to see." That was definitely teasing, grinning to Connor and trying to ease his heart. _

"I actually enjoy cleaning," he points out. He wasn't why he liked cleaning, but he did. It was relaxing in a way. He also listened to music while doing it and found he liked singing along. Hank had caught him a few times singing while doing the dishes. "It has been shown that keeping things clean helps your mental state. And, I have found that it's easier to keep it clean than having to do a massive clean every now and then." Hank also had that problem and putting it off until it got bad enough. 

"I do enjoy your style, as you seem comfortable. I also very much like...uh" he trailed off, face turning blue. He definitely wanted to see all the outfits Gavin would wear in private (or around others). He wondered what outfits he would wear that were more...risqué, and what Gavin would like to see him in. He was willing to try almost anything once. 

_ "I know I know, and maybe some other day when you're not supposed to be recovering I'll let you help. But this is going to be a deep clean, I haven't touched certain places in months and blegh." He normally did keep things clean. Maybe lots of cat hair, but clean for the most part. It showed with his living room and kitchen. _

_ He looked over when Connor trailed off, and oh- he was definitely going to find something new to buy for Connor. "Well, we'll have plenty of time to look around. Maybe if you find a store you really like, I can leave you to go wild in it and send you a text to come see my outfit." There was going to be a point Connor found his 'brand', and Gavin wouldn't need to help him pick out every pair of pants. "Make a surprise of it. Once you find your own style though." _

Connor thought for a second before nodding, "alright, but if you need help, I'm one text or phone call away." 

Connor felt his excitement rising. Not just for the outfit Gavin would find but for being able to find his own style. He wanted to feel comfortable in the clothes while also looking good. 

He already had a few ideas for different outfits for himself. He'd definitely try on different things though. 

He had enough money to get a good deal of clothes so he wasn't too worried about that. He'd try to find a gift for Hank and Fowler while he was out. He'd also look for one for Tina. Having Gavin then would definitely help with that since he knew her best. 

"That sounds like a good plan. Are there any specific stores you'd like to go to first? I haven't been to a mall before, so I don't know if there is a specific order in which to do things." Hank didn't take him shopping that often since he often got carried away and distracted. If Connor went with, they always came back with more than they planned. 

_ Gavin was glad he seemed to realize he wanted to clean alone. "Always know that. Hell if you want, we can call when I finally get down to cleaning?" He seen the mall parking lot and felt a prickle of anxiety at all the cars. It was pretty busy today, but the prickle settled knowing Connor was right here. _

_ "Not really- the store I want to go for my coat is a biker store I'm going to park by- that way it can be our last stop on the way out you know? But I figured we can just walk by the windows, whatever catches your eye we can go in and look at?" He offered. The whole point of this was to get distracted, and he was definitely willing to buy Connor a couple things. Overtime for so many years without anyone but his cats to spend it on and himself- he didn't think he could drink away the amount of extra work he put in. _

_ "The store I'll find the outfit to tease you in is on the other side of the mall, so yeah, there's a couple stores between." He smiled to the other, and found a place to park. Finally he looked at Elijah's message, and was glad he parked, cause his immediate reaction was to stomp in excitement. "Connor! Look!" He held the phone over, grinning like a proud dork. The message had an image of nearly whiped out cheesecake with some Chloes around it, the main girl in white and smiling to the camera with a peace sign. _

_ CHLOE APPROVED 👍 _ __

Connor nodded along as he listened. It seemed like a good plan, one we was excited to start. He could see Gavin's stress level spike so he took his hand, holding it gently. 

He understood the anxiety. There was always that small fear that something would happen, and it was made worse when he knew he could be the cause. Because of how public the revolution was, his face was easily recognizable. He also knew that would draw the attention of humans that were anti-android. 

He wouldn't let that stop him though. He trusted himself and Gavin to know what to do if something did happen. 

He didn't know what Gavin would find to tease him with, but he was eager to find out. 

He couldn't help but smile at Gavin's excitement and looked at the phone. His smile grew wider as he saw what made Gavin so thrilled. "That's great! I can't wait until every android gets to eat food like this."

_ Squeezing back, Gavin let his body sag towards Connor, smiling as the other was there. He probably wouldn't have went to the mall for months after what happened, but here he was. He felt he could do it already. _

_ At the wider smile, he couldn't help but mirror it. "He'll probably be sending more- I asked him if he could make cupcakes so you can eat at the sleepover with the rest of us. But yeah! Today has just been- really good honestly I- don't know what I did to get such a nice day but I'm not complaining. Fowler praised me and actually didn't push for me to go home, letting me do paperwork- and I got everyone the day off and just-" _

_ Gavin cut off, squeezing Connor's hand and taking a breath to try and not happy-freak-out over all this. "I'm really happy today Con, and I'm really happy I get to be with you for it." He wanted to lean over and steal a kiss, but he remembered the last time he got really affectionate in the car. Getting caught here could actually get them in trouble.  _

Gavin's happiness and excitement was contagious. Connor was already excited but he couldn't help but feel more pumped. He leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to Gavin's lips. 

"I'm so happy you're happy. You deserve all of the good stuff." He pressed another kiss. 

He was eager to try the new food, and get to have cupcakes. He liked the sweetness of the pancakes so he would most likely like cupcakes. He'd make sure to ask about how to make the food so he could make it himself and give some to the other androids at the precinct. 

"And you deserve the praise, you are an amazing officer and I know how hard you work. I know that everyone can see it, I'm proud of you." And he is. He knows that Gavin is one of the hardest workers and wouldn't be surprised if he got a promotion soon. 

_ Returning the quick kiss, Gavin mouthed a 'thank you' before the second one was delivered. He was turning red now, all the praise curling in him. Coming from Connor it made heat burn through him and he was really glad Connor didn't seem to be able to tell just when he drove Gavin nuts. _

_ "You do to- deserve happiness. You have done so much for so many people-" Too many words, too many emotions- Gavin mentally hit 'fuck it' and just reached over to kiss the other. He tried to pour his emotion into actions right now, the hand he was holding being squeezed, thumb running over the part where skin faded away to chassis. When he pulled back he met the other's eyes, smiling happily. "Phck- let's get out of the car before I melt over here." _

He definitely noticed how red Gavin got at the praise. He did deserve it. Connor had looked at his records and Gavin solved cases with incredible speed and accuracy. 

He gladly kissed back, his free hand moving up to cup Gavin's cheek. He shuddered at the feeling of Gavin's hand in his. He could tell his systems were trying to share his emotions and memories though the touch. It was odd though. It felt like energy passed between them where they touched. 

When Gavin pulled back he couldn't help the small whine. "I suppose so." He gently squeezes Gavin's hand again before letting go to get out.

_ Connor was so going to be the death of him, Gavin feeling like his legs were made of jello when he stood up outside the car. He shut the door and quickly walked over to Connor's side, holding his hand out again for Connor to take when he was ready. It was nice to be able to hang out in public finally, without it being a case. He was nervous as hell- that Connor wouldn't want to be seen with him, that something would happen to Connor, just- every and any thing. But it felt a lot more official to actually want to be out and about with the other. _

_ "Don't whine- you know I have very little willpower and that you are very adorable sounding." Teasing him with a grin, he really hoped Connor didn't mind holding hands in public. It was very possible Gavin ended up wrapping his arm around Connor later, if not just to get closer but for more contact. _

Connor gladly took his hand. He had no problems with PDA and it seemed Gavin didn't either. He was glad that he could be as affectionate as he wanted. He found that he very much liked physical affection and he tried to seek it out when he could. 

He let the skin over his fingertips pull back. It was a very emotional thing to pull back all the skin on his hands so he thought that only the fingertips would be better. 

He blushed at the compliment, ducking his head but not before placing a kiss to Gavin's cheek. It was definitely chilly so he pulled Gavin as close as he could, while still being able to walk comfortably, and started to heat up. 

"I'll whine if I want," he stuck his tongue out. "I don't think I told you, but when two androids interface they can share memories and emotions. I can tell that my systems are trying to do that. I don't know if it feels any different to you." He didn't want to accidentally shock Gavin without him knowing why. 

_ Gavin definitely noticed the attempt to warm him up, pressing into the other. The only reason he didn't ask to just outright wrap their arms around each other is because he knew how much Connor liked holding hands like this. It made him wonder, in the weirdest, briefest moment, if he ever got a prosthetic- He shut the idea down, not wanting to think of what ifs. _

_ He did laugh at the other sticking his tongue out, and was so tempted to kiss him or reach up and pinch his tongue. "You mentioned that you that, and that your hands were trying to do so with me last night." He reminded, face heating up himself. "Along with the uh, whole sensitivity thing. I can't interface or really feel anything other than- your hand gets slightly warmer?" A sheepish smile to that. He would love to, but at the same time, he had way too many nightmares about becoming an android and being trapped behind his own coding. _

"I was very much distracted last night by you." He says, smiling. He normally would remember what he was said before but his mind was focused on other things. The other things being Gavin.

"I'm glad that it isn't too odd. Some humans are uncomfortable when we remove our skin." It was rare, but he knew some androids preferred to live without any of their synthetic skin on. Most lived with it completely covering them. 

He never skipped before but he was so happy and content that he wanted to. He wanted to tell the world how amazing Gavin is and how happy he makes Connor. He can't help but keep his gaze on him, smiling the whole time.

_ "I am pretty damn distracting." There was a responding grin, Gavin squeezing his hand and moving them to the side for a family passing by. However, as the other continued, he couldn't help but look at him with a gentler look. _

_ "I know who I fell in love with, and I'm glad that he let's me see every part of him. It's not 'odd' to me because it's just another part of you." He tried to shrug off the gushy nature of what he said, looking to the doors instead of at Connor. "Some humans are uncomfortable for a lot of stupid reasons. But I love you, not because you're an android or a human- but because you're Connor. Now really I am- not good with being all sappy like this in public and it kinda feels like my fucking insides are shaking Con." His next laugh reflected that, slightly stuttered and breathless. _

Connor felt like melting. He literally felt like melting, his core was heating up. He knew it was part of an emotional reaction. He takes in a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself. 

He pulls Gavin into a hug, burying his blushing face in Gavin's shoulder. "Thank you." He mumbled into Gavin's shirt. "I love you." 

Once he felt like he was calm enough he pulled back, but not too far. He didn't let go of Gavin's hand, still holding it.

It meant so much to hear those words, that he was loved as himself, android parts and all. He had wondered what it would be like to be human, but he was proud of who he is. He wouldn't change a thing. 

_ Gavin did not yelp at the sudden hug, moving his free arm automatically to wrap around the other. "Love you too, don't need to thank me for anything."  _

_ He felt a little more sturdy after the embrace, face still very warm but his grin confident and happy. He was happy to press as close as he could without letting go of the other's hand, and eventually they were heading into the mall. It was definitely noisy and busy, and Gavin just focused on the feel of the other's hand for a moment. _

_ 'New chain bracelet too, for when he isn't with you.' Looking around, he tried to guide the other towards the one side. "Alright- so- whenever you see anything that interests you, call it out- or even just lead us in if you want? We can head in the store then and look around." He offered, finding he had to raise his voice slightly. _

The mall is busier than he expected and he tenses slightly. He scans the room noting the different exits and stairways. He often did this when he felt nervous, it helped calm him down. He knew how to get out of bad situations if need be. 

Holding Gavin's hand is grounding. Gavin would be able to protect himself if need be, so he didn't need to worry about that. He takes another deep breath before looking around with interest. 

He can smell food of all different types being made but he can also smell all the different colognes and perfumes. That with the noise is a bit overwhelming. 

The stores sell a wide variety of things, some catching his attention. It isn't long before he's pulling Gavin into a store. Inside it has books, actual books. But it also has soft plushies which was what originally caught his attention. He reaches out and touches one, it's softer than it looks. "It's so soft!" Connor says, grabbing it and squeezing it with one arm to his chest. 

_ Looking over when the other paused too, he was glad in a way they both didn't like large groups. Definitely meant concerts were out of the question, thankfully. Gavin liked music, but the crowds there truly were horrendous, and after the last one Tina drug him to- _

_ Instead of thinking of that, he moves his free hand to gently poke Connor's shoulder, reminding him he wasn't alone. He knew it would be a lot, but if it was too much, Gavin would happily take the other right back home and pull up websites. He would personally measure him himself if needed. _

_ They were moving around after a moment, and Gavin didn't expect the first store to be pulled into to be this one... But he certainly didn't mind, smiling and holding back a soft laugh at how cute the other was. "Adorable- you should get it if you like it." If Connor didn't get it, Gavin was getting it for him. _

He had come to the mall for clothes but he definitely was leaving without this. He squeezed it harder and nodded. "I'm definitely getting this. It's probably the softest thing I've ever touched." 

He pulled Gavin along as he looked at the books, pulling some out to look it over. Hank had quite a few books and Connor had already read through all of them. There was something about holding an actual book and taking the time to read through it. He could read through books in a second, but he loved actually reading them. 

"Do you like reading?" He asks, turning to Gavin. He held onto the plushie and when he needed a hand he held it between his arm and chest. 

_ Ok he couldn't help the 'aww' that left him. "I know what to get you for Valentine's day then." Gavin hadn't even thought of it til he remembered the large stuffed bears. _

_ Looking over the books, Gavin spotted a couple comics, but he wasn't too interested in them. He wasn't surprised the other liked to read, but Gavin was more a movie person. He liked picking movies apart and analyzing them, but books never held his attention unless he was studying graphs or able to write out what he was reading. _

_ "Not in the way you're going to expect. I only ever read if I need to study up on something. I'm more a movie person." He shrugged, looking to whatever Connor was. "I tried reading- tried this series about zombies but- couldn't get into it."  _

Connor nodded, putting the book he was holding back. He walked over to the cashier and paid for the plushie. 

"That makes sense. I very much enjoyed science fiction books and…" he trailed off before mumbling "romance novels." Hank had teased him relentlessly after he had found out. 

He liked how they almost always had a happy ending, the two being together for the rest of their lives. It was easy to get lost in the stories. 

_ There was a smile, before Gavin finally did let go of the other's hand. Simply, he wanted attention, so he wrapped his arm around Connor's middle and pressed against him. Hopefully Connor would realize he could settle his hand anywhere. _

_ "Oh- to be fair, I like a lot of those cheesy 'young adult' romance movies- don't let Hank in on that though. And of course anything gay." He would've done the jazz hands if he wasn't hugging onto Connor. He was a sucker for happy endings too- the hero always had to win at the end. _

_ "Maybe we can see if any of the books you've read have movies based off them? I'm not too picky on movies- just no stoner movies. Those always irritated me." Gavin wasn't big into drugs, obviously given that he went from highschool to academy to cop. He never got the 'comedy' of movies like those. _

He gladly wrapped his arms around Gavin. He chuckled at the gay comment and couldn't help but agree. There was some content but still wasn't as much as there was straight content. 

"I would love that. I'm sure there are good movie adaptations that we can both enjoy." There were definitely movie adaptations that weren't good, but there were some that were. 

"You're that android from TV!" A little boy said behind them. 

Connor only moves enough so he can face him, but still hold Gavin. The boy seemed to be around five years old. His mother gives him an apologetic smile, but he doesn't mind. 

"My name is Connor." He smiles at the boy. 

"You're so cool! You freed all those androids and you ran into a burning building! Wait, who is that?" The kid rambles then points to Gavin. 

"This is Gavin, he's my boyfriend and he is also a detective like me." Connor can't help but smile proudly. The kid's eyes widen and he smiles up at his mom. 

"I want a boyfriend too!" He says jumping up and down. 

_ At the voice, Gavin blinked, curious to what Connor was being recognized for. Of course he couldn't help the proud smile that appeared as the other went on about the things he did to help people, looking up to him as he responded to smoothly. Really, Gavin didn't deserve this adorable guy but he was so- _

_ Thoughts effectively derailed and launched into outer space, Gavin held back from choking on air by willpower along, merely hiding his face in the other's shoulder as he became so hot in the face it felt like he got instantly sunburnt. 'My boyfriend'- yeah he was used to himself saying it, and knew he had no shame to do so, but hearing someone else say it so happily completely floored him. _

_ Of course the kid was oblivious, now wanting a boyfriend and he was so sorry for the mom that had to explain he was a bit young for that. Quietly he muttered into the fabric before pulling his face away. He couldn't even be loud to hide how red he was- simply looking to the excited kid then to Connor. "I'm afraid this one's taken." _

The mom snorted and tried to cover it up with a cough. Connor rubbed circles on Gavin’s waist were he held him. It was charming how Gavin reacted to him calling him his boyfriend. The kid just nodded and looked around. “Your boyfriend is cool!” The boy said to Gavin. “I wanna be a detective just like you!” 

Connor felt his heart practically melt. Part of him was proud, but the other part knew how dangerous the job could be. “I’m sure you’d make a great detective.” 

“He’s a really big fan of all the androids that did the revolution. We had an android as a house keeper and those two stuck together like glue. I wanted to say thank you for showing what I already knew.” The mom said, nodding her head in thanks. It gave him even more hope for the future to meet people like this, the people who already treated androids like family. 

_ The circles definitely helped, especially as the lady tried but failed to cover the snort. At least she was ok with it. He rubbed his scar with his free hand, trying to ease the red from his face. _

_ At least that was more familiar territory to respond to. "Yeah he's the coolest. And hey, you do well in school and you'll achieve whatever you want to do. Just don't give up." Gavin was grateful he never slipped too far in school. Sure he definitely wasn't the straight A's kid, could care less about history or English, but he never gave up. Especially when he realized he wanted to become the heroes he looked up to, the ones that helped him out more times than he'd like to remember. _

_ Looking to the mom, it was always a small relief to know there truly were supporters out there on the human side. He wasn't used to it- having seen the ugly side of people for so long. It wasn't his turn to speak between Connor and the mom, so instead he just melted into the other a bit, eyes closing as he focused on calming down. _

“I’m glad, and I’ll let Markus know, it’ll mean a lot to him.” Connor said. He was already sending him the message while he spoke. 

“Thank you, well, we’ll let you boys get back to shopping. Have a good day Connor, Gavin.” She nods to each before moving away. The boy tries to keep watching them even as he walks.

Connor smiles and presses a kiss to Gavin’s hair. “Well, that was interesting. Let’s keep shopping.” He kept his arms around Gavin, giving him time if he needed it. He himself was blushing blue. 

_ "Have a good day as well." He responded, smiling and waving to the kid. "Cya later." At the kiss, Gavin immediately remembered just how red he was, and turned to pout at the other. _

_ "I knew you'd be recognized but I completely floundered at what to say- especially when you're so damn charismatic phcker." The curse was soft, and Gavin leaned up to kiss Connor's cheek before he tugged. _

_ "We should actually get some clothes shopping done though before the mall closes. Besides, I definitely need to tease you now. That plush might be soft but it has nothing on you." He was fake grumbling, truly wanting to move on though. He'd feel terrible if they didn't get to actually clothes shop and help Connor find something he liked. _

“Part of my main programming was being able to talk with humans.” He points out. He normally didn’t rely on what his programming suggested though, but it was still there if he wanted to. 

He kept his arm around Gavin as he started to walk, looking at each store. “If you see something you like I have plenty of money, so I can buy it for you.” He already had the bath bombs being delivered soon but that doesn’t mean he won’t buy Gavin more things. He liked giving gifts and he would spoil Gavin if he let him. He had a feeling Gavin would do the same to him though. 

_ "I know, but that doesn't make you automatically charismatic. The receptionist at the DPD isn't very smooth, and she's been around for longer with what she's got." ST300, name started with an N though Gavin couldn't completely remember it. _

_ At the comment though, Gavin squeezed, huffing yet smiling. "That's my line! Nuh uh- lemme spoil you this time." This time, and every other he could. He had a feeling this was going to be a thing between them, seeing if they could spoil the other, and it was honestly amusing to think of. Though Gavin did see one clothes store Connor might be interested in. "Wanna head in there?" _

Connor nods, “Nyla is her name. She likes painting and birds.” He had a few conversations with as many people as he could at the dpd. He wanted to get to know everyone and most were happy to talk to him. Not every android that had originally worked at the dpd came back, but the ones who did he made a point to talk to them. 

They would definitely spoil each other. Connor wasn’t just going to buy him things, he wanted to make him things too. He already had ideas for a scarf he could make him, and a blanket. He’d have to make sure to ask what his favorite colors are. At the suggestion he nodded and smiled, “sure!” 

_ "Knew it started with an N. Don't get me wrong she's nice but- also a girl, and besides Tina I rarely talk to any ladies of my own free will." He shrugged at that, not wanting to mention he knew she was a deviant for a while, or that he had bought her bird seed to use when she was supposed to be recharging. _

_ He lead the other into the store, noticeably it was filled with more women than guys, though there was a decent male section. "They have good jeans and pants here," he explained, no longer leading the other. That, and Gavin was absolutely buying one of the soft smocks while he was thinking about it. He didn't need it but he wanted Connor to realize Gavin meant pick anything. _

Connor chuckled at the girl comment. He found that he didn’t really have a preference over any gender. He looked around the store, curious as to what had drawn Gavin to it. He walked around, picking up a few clothes before putting them down. He didn’t specifically go for either gender, just what he thought was interesting. 

The first thing he definitely wanted to try on was a black skirt. It’s a black suede belted classic midi skirt, and he picks the size that most likely fits before looking for other clothes. The next thing that catches his eye is plain grey, polyester, mid waist pants. He then grabs a skit that is tripled layered, two sided skit made of kilt fabric. He also picks up skinny black jeans and a black sweater vest. Once he has these he looks around for the changing room. 

“I’m going to try these on, do you want me to come out and show you?” Connor asks, he holds the clothes over one arm, the bag in the other.

_ When they walked past the smocks with other long-sleeved shirts, Gavin did end up pulling away to search for one, finding a soft black one that would cover down to his thighs. He folded it over this arm, knowing his size by heart at this point- and really it shouldn't have changed yet. He eyed what Connor was getting, definitely interested and how the skirt would look on the other. _

_ The other clothes didn't hold his attention as much as the first skirt did, and he lead the other to the changing room when it seemed he had a pile gathered up. "Of course- I wanna see how this looks on you." He tugged gently at the midi skirt, looking up to Connor after and then away with a smile. "I mean- all of it too- but I think this is going to suit you." Plus it was pretty, Connor was handsome, the combo had to end up breathtaking. _

Connor blushed and ducked his head. “Thank you, I’ll try them on now.” He went into the stall and laid each item of clothing out. He hadn’t picked out any full shirts so he’d wear the one he already had on. 

The first one he decided to try on were the skinny black jeans. He had to hop around to get them all the way up and he couldn’t help but chuckle at the image. Once he had them on he looked at himself in the mirror. He had gotten the right size thankfully, and they looked really good too. He opened the door and stepped out, giving a slow turn so Gavin could see all of it.

_ Ok, so maybe he should've mentally prepped to see his boyfriend in skin tight jeans, because for a moment he was pretty sure his braincells left. Connor pulled off the color well of course, but they fit perfectly and left near nothing to the imagination. "They fit really well, and the style definitely shows off how good you look without being too in your face about it." _

_ Tugging on a belt loop, he already had the idea of getting Connor his own charm chain for the jeans. "They look real good babe." Allowing his eyes to settle on Connor's hips, he wanted to tug him close but ignored that for now. "You want me to grab a couple more pairs like this and come back?" Gavin always bought two pairs at least of jeans when he found a pair he liked. Mostly because their profession and his own recklessness lead to a lot of ruined clothes. _

They were comfortable and he liked the way they hugged his body. He also liked Gavin’s reaction to the pants. “Thank you, they were a bit hard to get on, I had to jump around.” He knew that they were supposed to be harder to get on, but they weren’t too tight around his waist so this size seemed best. 

Connor nodded, pulling Gavin into quick kiss. “That would be great, I’ll try on one of the skirts next. Can you get me a button dow shirt, I need one to try on the vest, I wear a medium.” 

He want back into the changing room, closing the door behind him. He takes the pants off, which is an accomplishment all by itself, and picks up the tripled layered skirt. He liked how it was different than most skirts he’d seen, and he liked the fabric too. This one was much easier to get on. 

He looked in the mirror and nodded. He liked it but it wasn’t perfect. He’d still probably get it though. He looks himself over one more time before leaving the room, doing a slow spin again.

_ "Oh trust me I know that trouble. Careful not to pinch yourself." He warned, having done so enough times to almost be afraid of skinny jeans. Almost. He couldn't help but hold the other's side at the kiss, smiling to him and nodding. _

_ Gavin went out to where the pants were, grabbing another pair in black and one in dark washed out blue, unsure if Connor wanted other colors or not. Then he searched for a button, picking a robin blue and a white one out to take back. Since Gavin mostly stuck with certain colors, he was a bit uncertain of how to pair it. _

_ He came back with the clothes, and paused. Connor looked- damn. Handsome but also, how in the hell a skirt made a guy look strong was beyond Gavin. Gavin knew he was strong, of course he did, but the skirt seemed to make him taller and hid all the soft to be replaced by strong lines. "You are the reason guys like me end up in an early grave. Pretty sure you could tell me to kneel right now and I'd do so without a second thought." His mouth worked faster than his brain, not even ashamed at the ideas he immediately got. _

Connor smiled and looked down at the skirt. It was freeing and restricting at the same time. He would definitely be able to still fight in it if need be. He really liked the pattern of the skirt too. “Skirts are comfortable, but I’m very glad I am wearing underwear. I know that quite a few women tend to wear shorts under their skirts and dresses.” He wasn’t sure why more men didn’t wear skirts and dressed. Pieces of fabric didn’t have gender so anyone should be able to wear them. 

“I’d rather you not die early.” Connor chuckled, watching Gavin’s reaction. He enjoyed this, trying on clothes, it was a very… human thing to do. It was fun getting to see Gavin’s reactions. 

“I’ll try on the other pants and vest next,” He took the shirts and smiled before going back in. He takes the skirt off and gently lays in down. He takes his shirt off and puts on the white shirt, then pulls on the gray pants. They both fit well so he puts the vest on. If he wore glasses they’d definitely go really well with this outfit. He rolled up the sleeves to his elbows and smiled. This would probably be one of his favorite outfits. The pants were snug but wasn’t as tight as the skinny jeans. 

With a wide smile he stepped out again. 

_ Knocked out of his stupor, Gavin rubbed the back of his neck, thinking of anything but what he had been. "I've never been able to pull one off, Tina tried but I dunno- never thought they fit me. I'll stick to shorts that make an attempt on my life than skirts." Not to say he wouldn't try it again, it's just the reason he wasn't joining Connor. He had tried something long, flowy in the back but short in the front. Was probably in his spare room like all the other clothes he didn't wear daily. _

_ Gavin already had a feeling he was saving the cute skirt for last, but the next outfit just- clicked. It was professional, approachable, cute yet not too innocent with everything fitting just right. Plus vests were really nice in general, cut up the chest nicely and Gavin even had a few leather ones. "Gotta say, that really suits you. Like- that's a really good everyday look for you." Gavin didn't resist this time, reaching over to smooth his hand over the other's side. _

_ "You liking it so far?" It being that outfit, but the other's too. _

Connor couldn’t agree more. He could easily wear this into work or even when he did something for Jericho. “I agree, I like how it looks. This is a lot of fun, I like trying on clothes.” He couldn’t wait to try on more, and find more styles he liked. He already had a few ideas as to what else he could wear. He would find ones similar to this for going to work. “That just leaves the other skirt. I’ll keep the shirt on but take off the vest.” He had a good feeling about the last skirt. 

He gently touched Gavin’s hand, pulling back the skin around his fingers. His fingertips glowed blue before he put the skin back on. 

_ "I had a feeling you would." He gently turned the other, watching him twist and seeing the fabric move. It would be good for work, but he'd get more than one pair of those pants too. At the comment of the last skirt being next, Gavin couldn't help but almost suggest he join the other in the booth. But he was being good and not getting Connor kicked out of the mall. "Just letting you know now, the more you tease me now the more I tease you later." _

_ At the soft touch, there was a distinct pain in his heart because he couldn't receive whatever the other wanted to transfer. Instead he turned his hand, pulling it up to his lips to press a kiss on the palm, wanting the other to feel as much as Gavin could offer. _

"I don't mind." He said giving him a sly smile. He would gladly take all the teasing in the world from Gavin. And he would gladly give it right back too. 

He shivered at the kiss to his hand. "I love you." He couldn't help but pull Gavin into a kiss. It seemed every time they kissed he was flooded with warmth and a fluttering feeling in his stomach. He wanted to kiss him longer, but he pulled back. He didn't move far though, pressing his forehead against Gavin's. He loved Gavin's eyes, he could probably stare at him all day, but that would probably look creepy. 

_ "You say that, but you're dating Gavin 'shameless' Reed." He couldn't help but be excited to get to Spencer's. He had an idea of just what he wanted to grab. Of course, the idea scrambled at the kiss, and Gavin responded very quickly to it. Hands moved up to rest on shoulders and stay there. _

_ Foreheads gently pressed together, Gavin could've stayed there forever. He loved being close like this, fingers intertwining for a moment. But then the reality that they were in a public store, right in front of the dressing rooms, came back to him very quickly. A shy cough from their side, Gavin's eyes widening then flicking over. He bit the inside of his cheek, probably noticeable by Connor this close, to keep from glaring and saying to fuck off. Instead he was good, pulling back and letting go.  _

_ "Go try on that last one, we have a couple more stores I think you'd be interested in yet. You can hand me the ones you've picked and I'll fold them for checkout." Gavin did pout, just slightly at being moved away for the girl. _

Connor felt his face flush with heat when he heard the cough. He was normally extremely aware of his surroundings but Gavin seemed to make everything fly out the window. 

He doesn't want to move away but he does, giving a slightly apologetic smile to the girl. He isn't sorry for showing affection and kissing Gavin, he is sorry that they were in the way. 

He goes back into the changing room, pulling off the vest and pants before handing the other pants and skirt over the top of the stall door to Gavin. 

He picks up the last skirt and pulls it on. The texture of the skirt is pleasing to touch so he runs his hands over it for a few seconds before looking in the mirror. 

He absolutely loves it. It fits his body well and is incredibly comfortable. He could hear it out and about or at home relaxing. He takes a quick picture and sends it to North. She instantly replies with compliments and excitement. 

He opens the door and steps out, running his hand down the skirt again. 

_ Gavin took the clothes, folding them and putting them in a pile before picking them up again, the blue button up left out. Remembering which skirt this was, he thinks twice of holding the clothes and sets them down, his own piece setting to the side of Connor's. _

_ He stood straight again, and waited for Connor to come out. When he finally does, Gavin's heart thuds so loudly. Connor's so damn handsome, and Gavin looked to the other stalls before reaching out, hands on the other's hips. "Mmmkay. I hope you know that I am absolutely finding more skirts like this for you- wait wait-" Gavin pulled away, looking around, before holding a finger up. "Wait." _

_ He darted off, head swimming with the idea he had, and it wasn't more than three minutes before he was back. "You got- teacher vibes and while that is really good, try one of these one?" He based it off the other shirts for size, but held out three soft, flowy, loft ribbed off-the-shoulder tops with long sleeves, each a different color. One white, one black, and the last one was a deep maroon. _

He's only slightly nervous when Gavin leaves. His initial reaction was very positive, but what if he decided he hated it. That was highly unlikely but there was still that worry. 

When he came back he couldn't help the small sigh of relief. He chuckles at the teacher comment. It is true though, the outfit as it is now is reminiscent of teachers. He takes the shirts and smiles. He likes the style very much. He pressed a quick kiss to Gavin's cheek before going back in. 

He takes off the shirt and fold it, putting it to the side. He looks at each color before picking the deep maroon. He pulls it on and looks at his reflection. He loves the color and the softness. It looks good with the skirt but it would also look very good with the black skinny jeans. 

He leaves the changing room with a smile. He does a slow turn for Gavin, excited to see what his reaction will be.

_ Smiling as if he was a teen again, not a grown man, he could only bounce on his heels as he waited. He was excited to see which color Connor liked, and if it made him look all smooth and soft and seductive like he was. When the door opens again, he can't help but the wide grin at maroon. _

_ And it did look just as he thought, even better when he could see the strength in Connor's shoulders and the way it hugged in certain spots. "So beautiful, Connor you look so amazing and oh I am going to fight Hank if he doesn't take you shopping more often because holy shit." Hands came forward to rest on Connor's hips, holding him gently and yeah- Gavin was gone- hello dumb bitch. _

_ "You know you're going to have to help me with shopping anytime we have to do something formal now? I could never be this classy yet attractive." _

Connor felt pride rush through him at the praise. He rest one hand on Gavin's shoulder, rubbing small circles onto his neck. He knew his neck was sensitive and he wanted to drive him crazy. 

He would definitely like to go shopping more often with Gavin or Hank. Not just for clothes though, he would be glad to just go shopping without any plans. 

"I'd love that. But I feel that I have to point out that you were the one that found this shirt." He knew his face is blue from all the compliments so he ducks his head slightly. 

_ It definitely worked, Gavin letting out a soft 'phck' at the touch, moving closer so they were only an inch apart. "Connor," he made sure to keep his groan at a whisper level, feeling way too wired up to be caught right now.  _

_ It was really cute that Connor was ducking his head, hiding his face from Gavin, but right now he just wanted to kiss him senseless. He reached up, fingers threading in Connor's hair and pulling him into a kiss, tense with the want to jump into the other's arms. _

_ He did pull back before a door opened though, want very obvious in his eyes and Gavin bit his cheek hard when he moved completely away. "Go ahead and get changed- pass these," there was a tug to his skirt. "I'll take these to checkout and you can join me in line when you're ready." _

He loved how Gavin reacted, happily kissing back. He wanted to pull Gavin into the changing room, but he didn't. He couldn't help the small whimper when Gavin touched his hair. 

He let out a soft sigh when they had to pull back. "Alright," he kissed Gavin again, but this time it was just a quick peck. 

He went back in and pulled the skirt and shirt off, handing them to Gavin over the stall door. He picks up his clothes and pulls them on. He puts his shoes back on and stretches before leaving the room. 

_ 'That whimper,' Gavin was so weak and if he managed to keep his hands off of Connor in this mall he deserved a reward. Instead of just following him, he took the clothes, gathering the rest off the bench and went to the checkout line, standing there behind some other people. _

_ Looking around the counter, he blinked as he saw a ring. It wasn't anything fancy, some metal band, but there was a shiny enamel cartoon dog that looked like Sumo. Smiling, he reached over for one, needing to balance the clothes on his leg before placing the ring on the top of the pile and resuming position. _

Connor walked out, making his way to the checkout line. He spotted Gavin and smiled, walking a bit faster to get to him. 

The store was a bit busy so Gavin was still waiting when Connor walked up. He noticed the ring and tilted his head. 

He knew the importance of rings but highly doubted that that was why Gavin had added it to the pile. 

The person working at the counter was an android so once they would reach him Connor could simply connect with him to pay. 

He reached over and touched the ring, "what's this?" He knew Gavin would try to pay but he wasn't going to let that happen. 

_ Looking over to Connor when he noticed the other, he couldn't help the smile at the way his head tilted slightly. "Something I'm getting for you when I pay for my shirt. It reminds me of Sumo, and I know how much you love him- thought you would like something as cute as you." He was definitely proud of that line. _

_ Even when the girl in front of him snickered and he felt his chest flutter at the thought of actually flirting with his boyfriend. It was just so wild. Sure they had so many other dates planned, but for a second?- third?- date, this was pretty amazing. _

Connor squinted and playfully brought a hand up and pinched at Gavin's neck. "You're adorable." Connor laughed, shaking his head fondly. He can't get over how cute Gavin is.

"I can carry my stuff." Connor points out. He holds the bag with the plushie with one hand, the other rest around Gavin after he pinched him. He no longer radiated heat since the store was warm from both the air conditioning and human bodys. 

_ A shiver went through Gavin at the pinch and he whined in the back of his throat, moving closer with grey eyes turning just a bit dark. "And you're a tease!" He kept mumbling, along the lines of 'tenser than a tripwire' and 'I should've worn a scarf'. _

_ "I can also carry it. I'm not letting go- my hands are much safer around these clothes than left empty and to their own devices." Making a point, his eyes flicked towards the other's hips, coming back up to his face after a second. Thankfully the line moved forward before he could continue that thought. Gavin set everything down so the guy could pick up from the pile. _

He knew he'd pay for that, but he would gladly take any punishment. He was actually looking forward to it. At that he remembered he had to get some thirium. 

"Did you find everything you needed?" The guy said, scanning each piece of clothing. 

"We did." Connor nods. Connor removes the skin of his hand and pressed it against the pad. 

"Payment complete, thank you for shopping." The man nods. He also still had his LED so he can see it spin yellow as he completes the transaction. "And, thank you." He says, smiling at Connor. 

Connor blushed and nods, grabbing the bag of his clothes before moving over for Gavin. 

_ Gavin was still so happy seeing the way people recognized Connor, and despite the way he felt like dragging Connor into a dressing room and torturing him back- he still had that same happiness. Maybe this would be the trip he needed to fully realize he was a hero to so many. At his turn, Gavin pulled out a card from his wallet, then moved to hand the other his card when he was ready. _

_ "Which store do you want to head to next sweetheart? I know there's Sears, a rave store, another formal outlet, and Hot Topic and Spencers." He offered, making sure to check the time so they would be able to get Connor food. "Also, when do you need to get more to drink? I think they have the vending machines here." _

Connor's heart melts at the term of endearment and he presses a quick kiss to his cheek. "I should get some soon. As long as I get thirium within an hour there will be no side effects." 

If he didn't his arm and skin would both act up, which wouldn't be good for anyone. It would look really weird too. 

"There is a certain shirt I want to get, but I'm not sure where that would be. I'm thinking Sears but I've never been in one before." He had wanted this type of shirt before but never really went out to get one.

_ "Let's head for the vending machine first then. It's towards the middle, then we'll head to Sears? If you're certain it's there, maybe I can surprise you at my store then..." Gavin loved the idea of Connor walking into the rave store, bright colors and black and glow up- and then seeing what Gavin had planned. _

_ "We could split up or stick together, it's up to you." He didn't mind either idea, making Connor wait while he disappeared into a room or him having to be found in the colors. Both had a great possibility of Connor losing it. _

"I'm not certain it is at Sears but it does have a high possibility. But that works, what I want to get isn't... alluring." Well, it wasn't supposed to be. He just thought it would be cute and comfortable. 

He kept his arm around Gavin as he started walking towards the middle. Most companies that sold thirium now had it in different flavors but it always had this oily aftertaste. After eating and drinking what Kamski made this would definitely be mediocre. 

"I'm fine with splitting up if you want, just let me know which store to go to once I'm done." It wouldn't take him very long as long as he didn't get sidetracked. 

_ "If it's not, I'll help you find it in the other stores?" He offered, now nearly bouncing in his step. He leaned against the other though, his arm on the side with Connor slipping around him now, enjoying the closeness. His hand settled on the other's side, just above his hip. _

_ The middle wasn't all that crowded compared to the hallways sprouting off it. It was easy to spot the food court and the vending machines for androids, and Gavin lead the way over. He should eat, but he didn't want food court food. Besides, he actually had lunch today so he was fine. "It's on the way to the Sears store- black out window and neon signs. I'll just walk with you down that hallway, and split off then." _

"Sounds like a good plan." Connor said. He walked up to the vending machine and had to pull his arm away from Gavin so he could order, then touched the pad to pay. It did cost more than any beverage a human would drink, but he didn't mind. At least they sold them. 

He had gotten an apple flavored one, but he doubted it would taste like an actual apple. He bent down and got the bottle out, opening it and taking a sip. It wasn't the worst, but it definitely could use an improvement. 

"Do you want to get food? There aren't many healthy options but eating is better than not." Connor says looking around. 

It's interesting to see other androids. Some he can easily spot because of their LED or because they all have similar faces. Almost all models were mass produced so it wasn't hard to recognize them. He could also tell who supported and we're against androids. What really filled him with hope and joy were the human-android couples. 

_ Gavin minded. He minded a lot when he looked between the drinks. While he understood that thirium prices wouldn't just drop, he hoped people would realize androids wouldn't just have money from the get-go. Connor was lucky to have a job beforehand. _

_ He bit his tongue though, and looked as Connor looked vaguely annoyed by the drink. Of course it was the quickest, cheapest option for a company to expand to flavored drinks, and it had to be something like drinking lemon water and lemonade. _

_ "Not really, I might grab a lemonade though if you want to hang out here for a couple moments. I had to take a lunch break today because someone looked way too good working out- and I couldn't focus." He stuck his tongue out with a grin, and offered his hand to the other.  _

_ Gavin was definitely more at ease now with androids than he was before. There wasn't a need to look for signs of programming being disobeyed or fear in people's eyes at being caught. It was just people being people. Sure, a lot still moved stiffly, but the difference was there for someone's who job was literally spotting the difference. He was glad to see they weren't the only couple of red and blue, and stood closer to Connor, quick, deep breath in and slowly out. _

He was glad to know his photo affected Gavin as much as Gavin's had affected him. He had the benefit of being home though, so he could take care of his problem. 

He gladly took Gavin's hand, removing the skin again from his fingertips. If he focused he could see a few other androids doing the same.

"You should always take a lunch break. Humans need the energy from food to be able to function at max. You should also always have breakfast and dinner." He had to hold himself back from spitting out more facts. Most of the time his brain would pull up information without him even having to ask, but it normally didn't do that when he was overly distracted. 

"I should suggest lemonade to Kamski, I'm sure the Chloe's would enjoy that if they haven't already brought it up." It was odd being so... unceremonious with him. He had originally viewed him almost godlike, but now he saw how human he is. The irony of that wasn't lost on him. 

_ "I normally just get a sandwich and run- I have way too much to do without a partner Con. I know I chose to be partner-less but still, sacrifices have to be made. I'm fine though." He had crackers in his drawer and energy bars in case, but even then, a good case and he forgot anything existed other than coffee. _

_ "You should, lemonade is pretty good. And I'll eat when I get home, promise." He noticed other's doing it too, the hand thing, and it was really nice to know he wasn't alone. He wondered if the other's felt the same pang at not being able to interface like he did. Squeezing Connor's head, he gently lead them over to the drinks. He got his, watching it be shook madly before passed to Gavin, and then paid. _

_ "Alright, onwards to Sears?" He turned towards Connor, and the dumbest idea of leaning up to kiss the thirium off the other's lips came to him. Yeah he knew the small amount wouldn't hurt him, but he also know Connor definitely wouldn't like it either. So he resisted, leaning up to kiss his cheek instead and then settling. He sipped his lemonade, glad it was on the sour side. _

An idea came to Connor which he would definitely do. It wouldn't be too hard to do either since he often made a lunch for Hank to bring with. He'd just make extra to bring to Gavin. That would make it easier on Gavin so he wouldn't have to stop working to make food. 

Connor slowly drank the thirium while they got Gavin's drink. Food and drinks had always been something Connor was jealous about humans, but now that Kamski had made food he could eat without any side effects he was content to sip on his thirium. 

He smiled at Gavin after the kiss, squeezing his hand back. "Let's." 

It doesn't surprise him that he gets a few glares when humans recognize him, but he brushes it off. There will always be people who can't seem to change even when faced with facts.

_ The glares didn't surprise Gavin, but holy phck did they set him off. He was glad both hands were very occupied, even if Connor could feel his heart start to race and the tension build. He glared right back, grey eyes back to the cold steel they were around suspects. He dared one of them to start something, he had a cup full of sour lemon juice to spill on a bitch. _

_ They did make it to Gavin's store first, and all that could be read from it was 'I <3 RAVES' in neon pink, green and yellow, the blacked out window have stickers of some kind and white x's over it. There were lightup shoes on display, and fuzzy boa scarves in similar neon colors, but nothing else. Just a black curtain, similar to Spencer's. "Alright this is my stop. The dressing rooms are in the back, I'll message you when I'm ready?" _

Connor looked at the shop with interest. He didn't know what was behind the curtain and that made him even more curious. He'd never been to the store, or ones like it, so he had no frame of reference. 

"Alright," he turned to he was fully facing Gavin and kissed him. It was slow and gentle, and he pulled back after a few seconds. "I'll see you soon." He pulled away and out the skin back on his fingers. 

He looked down the hall and saw Sears, from what he could see there was a high chance of finding the shirt there. 

He didn't want to move away, but he did, glancing back at Gavin. He goes into the store and looks around. 

It's a pretty big store with white tile and walls. This store also has quite a few people, but it's not enough to make it feel crowded. 

He makes his way through the store, looking at a few things before moving on. It thankfully doesn't take long to find what he was looking for. It's a creamy white, cable-knit, crew-neck sweater. 

He goes into the changing room and pulls it on. He picked a large, so that it would be bigger on him. He flaps his arms in the sleeves and grins. He then pulls it off and puts his shirt back on. 

_ There was so much excitement to go in, especially seeing how curious Connor was. He knew walking in there Connor would be very surprised with the clothes there, but it was just as much Gavin as the DPD was. He loved to party, to have attention on him, to be watched and wanted, and these clothes made him stand out, just the way he wanted. _

_ The kiss was nice, and Gavin eagerly returned it, free hand caressing the other's cheek and he grinned to the other. "See you soon- you might want to refill on thirium completely." He winked at that, knowing it failed to work and waited for the other to disappear before heading in. _

_ There were so many new items, and Gavin smiled at the familiar android behind the counter. "Back again!" Gavin did a rock on sign, before walking over, arms resting on the counter and hips jutting out, before his head rested on his arms. _

_ "I got a boyfriend, help me find the shiny stickers. Paw print ones." The guy clapped his hands, and went to get the stickers. "You still got my card info!" _

_ "Of course! You come here often enough I could recite it even with an 80 year old's memory!" Gavin huffed, looking through the new items of clothing. _

_ "Charge a set of pasties to it and bring them back to the dressing room please." After an 'ohhh' he noticed there wasn't anyone else here but two girls in the corner, looking over mesh skirts. He walked over, seeing the one on the manakin, and got the idea to get one for Connor. Soon he had two outfits and a pair of garter thigh highs, glad he wore his favorite boots all the time. He took his clothes to the dressing room, and tried on the garters, high waisted bottoms and the chain jacket, putting on the paw print metal pasties- two over his nipples and two under each one. Then he messaged Connor. _

_ Got two outfits and something for you. First one fits. _ _ He simply sent an image of the metal paw print on his stomach area and nothing else. _

When he got the message he quickly paid for the shirt, which he had gotten two of. 

He nodded a quick thanks to the cashier before leaving the store. He didn't run but he wasn't definitely walking faster than most people. He was excited to see what Gavin was wearing, and what he found for him. 

When he walked in he was a bit shocked. It seemed like the opposite of Sears. It was darker but more colorful at the same time. He looked at the clothes and got more excited to see what Gavin had found. 

He'd definitely never been to a shop like this. He liked the aesthetic of it though. A few things caught his attention, but he looked around for the changing rooms.

_ The cashier looked up when Connor walked in, both not recognizing him and then very quickly recognizing him. "Hello there! Looking for something?" He smiled to other, then resumed looking at his phone. _

_ Gavin heard people talking, hearing the familiar voice of Leo in the front of the store. He messaged Connor, hoping it was him out there, and checked himself over the mirror once more. _

_ Back in the back, near the pants _

_ He grabbed the skirt as well, biting his lip and then listening for Connor's voice. _

"Hi, not really, well kind of." He gets the message and smiled, "not anymore, I know where to go. Thank you." He knows he probably made no sense. 

He moved across the room towards where Gavin had said. He only paused one time when something caught his eye, but he quickly moved on.

There was only one stall in use so he assumed it was Gavin. He knocked on the door softly, "Gavin?"

_ The guy blinked, very human in his responses. "Alright, if you need anything don't be afraid to ask." And back to the phone he went. He seemed to be playing some kind of game on it. _

_ Gavin smiled hearing the knock, and the voice following it. "The one and only." He opened the door, leaning against the door frame as he looked to Connor. He was almost upset he didn't have makeup on, or something to make his lips shine. Instead the bottom one was caught between his teeth as he looked up at the other. "I came in for one outfit, but found two- and this. Thought you'd like it." He held out the skirt, eyes flicking back to the dressing room. _

_ "Only one dressing room though." As he moved the chains did too, and Gavin was completely entranced with the feeling. Forget being a rope bunny, Gavin knew his inclinations laid in metal. _

If he could, he would have choked. But he couldn't so he froze for a second instead. Gavin looked...really fucking good. He felt like his brain had shut down and turned to putty. 

He gladly stepped into the changing room, closing the door behind. He looked Gavin over and couldn't help himself as he reached out and touched the exposed skin around his stomach. 

He liked the skirt Gavin had found quite a lot. It was pretty and simple while still standing out. He was more focused on Gavin though. He gently touched Gavin's thigh where the chains were, fiddling with them for a second. 

"Wow," he murmured. This was definitely doing things to him. "You're beautiful."

_ The reaction was priceless, and Gavin's smile turned genuinely proud as the other stepped in with the same blank look Gavin felt seeing him in the midi skirt. Yeah, Gavin couldn't rock skirts or dresses, but shorts and shirts- he could proudly wear those, regardless of the manakin it was on. _

_ The hand on his stomach felt really nice in the warm air of the store, and he let a sigh slip out at it. His own hands laid on top of Connor's, and the touch to his thigh produced a shiver. The metal of the chains was cool compared to the rest of the place and the slightest movement like this- Gavin was proudly melting this time. _

_ "I am really glad you like this. I haven't gotten to wear things like this lately, haven't went clubbing, but I figured- I might as well get a couple of options that are new. Ya know, in case we get sent undercovers again." He was being a tease and so happy to tug Connor by the seam of his pants. "You wanna try that on and I'll strip... To put the other outfit on?" There was a pause just for effect, Gavin nudging the hand on his stomach to feel the tight fabric. _

Connor practically blue screened touching Gavin. His thirium sped up by 32% and he took in deep breaths to try to cool himself off. The teasing was definitely working.

"Underwear on or off?" Connor asked, pulling his pants down. He grabbed the skirt and ran his hand over it. It was softer than it looked but still rough. He liked it though. 

He was glad he was so comfortable and relaxed because Gavin would definitely be able to see exactly what this was doing to him. 

_ Of course Gavin's eyes flicked downward, and really, if he didn't somewhat like the poor guy out front, Gavin would've got on his knees then and there. But he held back, and instead he focused back to Connor's face, holding his cheek. "On for now, unfortunately. Turn around too." He nudged the other's shoulders to face the wall, pressing a quick kiss onto his shoulder before moving back and stripping out of the clothing. _

_ The next outfit was just as noisy, Gavin trying to be quiet and not ruin the surprise of it. Chaps were fun to put on, especially if you had whip marks from the night before you wanted to show off. The specific reason he came in for them- he knew one day he wanted to try that with Connor.  _

He turned around and let out a shaky breath at the kiss. He put the skirt on and smiled. He moved his hips around watching it move. He liked the way skirts moved when he did. 

He kept his back turned, staring at the door. He wanted to look back,but he kept his eyes forward. He could hear metal so he assumed there would be chains again. 

_ It wasn't as tight as the shorts and jacket, so it didn't take as long, but just to tease the other, he properly folded the clothes. Then he checked himself in the mirror before one hand rested on his hip. The other hand hooked a finger on that chain from the bikini top. "Hey- the skirt looks good. You can turn around now." _

_ He bit his bottom lip, jutting his hip out just a little bit and looking to Connor's head and not his hips with the skirt highlighting them so perfectly. _

Connor turned around and almost died again. This time he had to run a scan of his systems to make sure they were still working. There were but it still felt like he was shutting down, in a good way. 

The top looked amazing, especially with the fabric around his neck connected to the sides of the top with chains. It also went amazing with the pants. 

He reached out and grabbed the chains at Gavin's neck and pulled him into a kiss searing kiss. He gently held onto Gavin's waist where there was bare skin. "So fucking hot." Connor mumbled before kissing him again. 

_ There was a short moment of worry that Connor's LED went yellow seeing the outfit. He knew Connor liked it but actually making his boyfriend shut down, while amusing and definitely his crowning achievement in life to this point, was concerning. _

_ Then the other was pulling him into a kiss and his worries melting, arms reaching to loop around Connor's neck and kiss back with as much passion as he could. "And all yours." He didn't stop the grin when Connor kissed him again, and walked them forward to press Connor against the door. He didn't want to pull away to breathe but he had to. _

_ "And just think, you could see every single bite and bruise you leave with this. When we get to head to a club, I'll make sure to wear this for you." He leaned in for another kiss, pressing their hips together just enough to tease. _

He didn't let go of the chain as his back touched the door. The door was cool against his legs, the skirt not covering much. 

At the idea he squeezed Gavin's waist slightly harder, but not hard enough to bruise yet. He undeniably liked the idea of showing all the marks he'd leaving, showing that Gavin is his. 

He groaned at the pressure of Gavin against him and moved his hand from Gavin's waist down to his ass. He gives Gavin and quick smirk before pulling his hips against his, moving his hips forward as he did. 

If need be he could turn off his voice, but that was no fun so he kept it on. He liked having to keep himself quite with willpower alone.

_ Not holding back the shaky gasp when Connor squeezed, Gavin tilted his head to the side, letting himself melt in the hold. "I'm taking it that's a good idea." He sounded so proud of that.  _

_ And then there was a louder noise, carefully cut off when Gavin pressed his lips together. It still vibrated in his hips and he twitched in the other's hold. He definitely couldn't be quiet, not like this. "Connor- beautiful- if we mess around now we won't be able to hit the other stores." _

_ Still he didn't pull away, instead moving his hips just slightly against Connor's. "Come on, be a good boy for me, hold back just til we get done here and I'll take care of you- or better yet... Could let you try out a shibari design for me to wear to work tomorrow." He would have to take a picture for Connor, see if the other could spot his own handiwork, but shibari was tame and a good way to start into things. _

He really didn't want to stop, but he also wanted to keep shopping and he'd like to try shibari. So he kissed him deeply one more time before sighing and pulling away. 

"It's definitely a good idea." He let go of the chain, but he moved his hand back to Gavin's waist. 

He already had a few ideas for the shibari like hishi karada, star harness, lightning chest harness or maybe even the bulldog chest harness. All were simple enough but also beautiful. He does realize something though, "I don't own any rope." You literally couldn't do shibari without rope, rope is the whole point.

_ Just to reprimand the other, he nipped his bottom lip gently, not quite giving up control of the kiss. He was relieved to be given some space, no doubt obvious with his own want now too. And unlike Connor he couldn't just turn off. 'At least this time you have looser pants.' _

_ "Sometimes I have those. And uh- that's not a problem if we go to my place..." Of course Gavin had his own, in various colors, some leather, some hemp, some silk. He even had thin chains to make designs with. Shibari was definitely a top ten of his, because it was so pretty yet in the right hands could bite so well. "But first things first- finishing up shopping. Now let's get in our proper clothes and I'll pay." _

_ Pulling away, missing touch already, the bikini was the first to come off, hands behind his back and finding clasps with practiced ease. "Did you get what you wanted at Sears?" _

He hadn't even realized he dropped the bags until Gavin mentioned them. He took the skirt off and put his pants back on. 

He grabbed the Sears bag and held up the shirt, "I did! Do you like?" It was a completely different aesthetic than the store they were currently in. 

It didn't surprise him that Gavin already had rope. He was really excited to try it out on him. It wouldn't take long to do the knot but he wanted to see exactly how Gavin liked it, tightness wise. 

_ "Ohhh- it's so soft- this is cute Con!" He held the fabric between his fingers, and while he was completely riled up, he couldn't help but imagining cuddling against the other. Him in the smock, Connor in the shirt- sometime in the fall and each with a cup of something warm. _

_ 'How is it always so easy to see the future with you?' He smiled at the thought, and then stood up to peck Connor on the lips. The chaps came off easily, and were folded before Gavin put the other clothes back on. He added the skirt to the pile, and held the clothes. "Don't worry, the pasties already were paid for, and I'm leaving them on. Our secret." He grinned at that, holding the clothes in one arm and wrapping the other around Connor for a one-armed hug. _

Connor was glad Gavin also liked the shirt. He knew he could curl up in it on colder days and just relax, maybe reading a book. He knew Hank would tease him about turning into an old man but he also knew he meant nothing by it. 

He could imagine sitting on Gavin's couch, reading, curled up with Gavin and his cats. He wanted that to happen so badly, and he knew it would. He wanted those calm moments where they just enjoyed each other's company. Of course he liked the fast moments too. 

He put the shirt back in the bag and picked up the other bags, holding them with one hand, and his other arm around Gavin. 

He felt all warm and it was like he was weightless. It was like nothing could ruin this feeling. "Well, other than the cashier." Connor jokes, kissing Gavin's cheek. 

_ Gavin got the door after remembering to put the clothes down to do so, and then picked them up again. "Pfft he won't say anything. I've seen him in clubs before he has no room to talk." _

_ Snuggling up to Connor, he melted in his embrace, walking out with him to the cash register. There was jewelry behind the counter, nipple piercings and chains, light up clothes, and even a small selection of android specific modifications- one being an LED with extra colors and fingernails that could sync with an LED or be separate. It wasn't Cyberlife brand, but rather someone else doing it independently- a brand 'RAVEBOT' on the packaging. A quick search revealed it was a company before the revolution to 'spice up' your android, but the revolution opened it up for more self expression. Only few stores sold the stuff though. _

_ He placed his clothes on the counter, and the guy looked up, quickly looking between them. "Ohhh- well, lucky you." He left it absolutely vague which one of them he meant, and Gavin smiled with red hinting his face. "Same card?" _

He looked at the items for androids with interest. It was interesting to see what they were already selling to them. He couldn't help but chuckle at the LED, they already showed emotions, but since there were only three colors the colors also meant other things, not always positive. 

The LEDs were basically mood rings, and he wondered if the ones with more colors changed depending on emotions or if it was just more colorful so to be colorful. He knew it wasn't hard to read his emotions already but he didn't exactly want his LED giving away exactly what emotion he felt all the time. 

He smiled at the man before looking at Gavin. He knew his expression was probably amusing as he looked at Gavin with as much love as possible. "I definitely am." 

_ The android selling it had the nails on but not the LED, nails glowing green as his hands moved the items. _

_ That look floored Gavin, his heart thudding rapidly in his chest and he was so lucky to just have Connor holding him up right now. He definitely would've melted against the other. "We both are- I've never been happier." Alright fuck the third party, he leaned up, kissing Connor deeply with as much love as he could convey. _

_ The android whistled, ringing the items up and placing them in the bag. "Well, good luck with him. If he makes love half as hard as he used to party, I am both jealous and afraid for you." Gavin went very red at that, pulling back from the kiss and looking down with a derpy smile. _

He readily kissed back, bring his hand up to rest at the base of Gavin's head, fingers gently playing with his hair. He kept his hand there even as Gavin pulled back. 

Connor glanced at the guy and smiled "I'm not the one you should be worried about." Gavin was incredibly strong but Connor was meant to be stronger than any other android or human. 

He's never had to use his full strength except when he had to fight himself (that was still weird to this day). He'd never use his full strength on any human though, he could easily kill someone if he did. 

_ Connor knew how to play him and damn that was too good of a feeling. They might make it out of the mall. Might. At the comment though, he couldn't help but clear his throat, whining very lowly. "I don't think he means in that way-" _

_ "Haha- I bet! Not many humans can pull off a whole weekend in a rave- but Gavin had a lot of stamina that weekend-" Ok that was it- Gavin tugged on Connor, internally screaming. _

_ "That was years ago! Years!" He really didn't want to talk about the fact he had a bad case and decided to release steam by heading to a three day rave and run off of adrenaline, liquor, and bass for almost 48 hours. _

He wondered how long they knew each other. How long had he been deviant? Did Gavin know about him being a deviant? Did he treat him similarly to how he treated Connor when they first met? If he did, the android obviously forgave him too.

He was impressed that Gavin had gone to a rave for two days. He'd of course never been to one, but he knew the basics of them. 

"It was nice meeting you." He decided to spare Gavin. He nodded at the android and took the bag of clothes. 

_ "Hey wait I can carry those-" He whined but didn't fight for the bag, instead making their escape out of the store as soon as he could. He could hear the other behind him. _

_ "Nice meeting you too! Come around when you get a moment- I can hook you up!" _

_ Standing outside the store he rubbed his face, forgetting just how much of a little shit that guy could be. Good friend, great way to get into good raves and parties, but he was also an instigator. Always egging Gavin on to do stupid shit, like backflipping off the bar and doing a split, or painting himself glow in the dark. _

_ "Next store please I- am so sorry for him."  _

Connor smiled and shook his head fondly. "Nothing to be sorry for, it was quite interesting actually." It was adorable how worked up Gavin could be. 

He let his arm rest across Gavin's shoulders, keeping him close to him. He kept a hold of the bags with the other, swinging his arm only slightly. 

He looked around at the different stores, not sure where to go next. "Is there a store you want to go to next?" The mall was huge so it would probably be better to walk to a certain store and go into ones they find on the way, than to walk around aimlessly. 

_ This was the store, but he wouldn't mind heading to Spencer's and Hot Topic, the stores right across from each other. "There's two stores at the end of the other hallway, but besides that- the last store I need to hit is the one we parked by. Got my jacket there- maybe I can get a replacement there too?" He shrugged, and then remembered just what was at Spencer's. Behind the curtain, sure, but could Gavin last another store like that? _

_ He really hoped so. "You? Is there anything besides clothes you'll want?" _

He still felt guilty getting Gavin's jacket ruined so he'd try to pay for the replacement when they got there. 

He looked down the hallway looking at each store name. "Nothing I can think of. If I find something I like I'll get it though." He had only come in for clothes the wear at home or out and about but he already had gotten a plushie and the skirt Gavin had gotten him. 

"We can go to those stores now and I'll let you know if I see any store I want to go into." He normally went into things with a plan, and not having one was both freeing and anxiety inducing at the same time.

_ "Sounds good to me babe." He kept his arm around Connor's side, head resting against Connor's arm. None of the other stores interested him, though it was nice to see them filled. When he was a kid, people were afraid of malls closing. Then they realized people just didn't need four malls within an hour distance of each other with the exact same stores in each. Sure Detroit mall was bigger, but even it had empty stores as a kid. _

_ He noticed eyes on them as they walked, but the anxiety of it was wearing off. He still glared at anyone who made a face, and when someone leered at Connor he squeezed him tighter, lip twitching and just barely holding back a snarl. _

Of course Connor noticed but didn't do anything except hold Gavin slightly tighter. It didn't bother him that he got odd looks or sneers, what did surprise him was the leer. Objectively he knew he was at least somewhat attractive but for some reason he didn't think people found him alluring. 

They got to the stores, Connor looking between the two before choosing to go into HotTopic first. 

The ambiance of this store was similar to the last, but less... erotic. The music was slightly different and there were definitely less suggestive items of clothing. 

_ Entering the store, Gavin remembered how long it was since he been in Hot Topic, and how many teens there was. Teens and younger people, and while Gavin didn't exactly look 36, looking at the younger people, he definitely fucking felt it for a moment. There was a lot of merch he didn't recognize, but that was fine. His eyes immediately spotted the meme and pride sections. _

_ Still though, he was relieved to be heading into Hot Topic first, looking over to Connor then the section with all the band t-shirts and merch. "Bet you can find Knights of the Black Death merch here- if you want to get Hank something? I know you probably have been looking- this is you after all." He chuckled, and then pushed closer when people moved around them. 'Too busy.'  _

He smiled and kept his arm tight around Gavin. He was definitely looking for something for Hank. He walked over, saying excuse me to a few people to get past. The store was on the smaller side, but even if there were fewer people it would still feel crowded. 

He looked up at the wall, it displayed the front of each shirt so it was pretty easy to find one. He made sure it was the right size and shirt before nodding. It wasn't one Hank had so it would be a good gift. 

He looked around a bit, thinking of where in the store Gavin would go before heading towards the lgbt stuff. There was a decent amount of stuff including buttons displaying pronouns or pride flags. He found a pin with the bi flag and held onto it, he'd get it for himself. 

The song that had been playing ended and Connor couldn't help the wide grin when he heard the next. It was a song from Knights of the Black Death so he hummed along while he looked. 

_ Of course Gavin mimicked the noise, holding onto Connor and pressing into him for more of not wanting to bump into other's at one point. All the shirts were nice, and Gavin saw a Starset shirt, remembering to get one later when it wasn't so busy. _

_ When they moved to the lgbt stuff Gavin couldn't help but smile, looking at all the pins and hats. He saw a cute little bead bracelet, rainbow beads with 'gay af' in white lettering in the middle. He was about to look up to Connor and mention it when the other started humming, and Gavin couldn't help but smile. 'So fucking cute.' "Look Con- I think this is perfect for me." _

_ He looked over the other things and found a bi bracelet to match.  _

He looked at the bracelet and nodded "that does!" He smiled at the bi bracelet and added it to his small pile. 

He was really glad that Hank was supportive so he could buy himself lgbt stuff without worrying. He didn't know what he'd do if he wasn't. 

A lot of people were but of course there was always the few that weren't. A few humans in the lgbt community were also against androids so the hate wasn't just from cis, straight people. 

He found a pin that said straight ally that he'd also get for Hank. He had told Connor that he'd take him to the pride parade when it came around. He had an idea of Gavin coming with, and hoped he would when the time came. 

_ There wasn't much he could buy he didn't have. He did get a new mug, laughing when he found it. It simply said 'nobody knows I'm gay' in rainbow print. "Alright alright, I have to admit, I've shopped here way too often I have like half their gay stock Connor." _

_ He was laughing yet, and just getting the bracelet and the mug, he leaned against the other. "I'm ready whenever you are. I'm so using this mug at the precinct- watch Wilson try to use this one the phcker." _

Connor nodded and moved to the checkout. The store's prices were a bit high but he didn't mind. He got the shirt and buttons, putting the small bag in one of the bigger ones. 

He waited for Gavin to pay before leaving the store and walking over to Spencer's. 

This store is similar to the first more than HotTopic. It doesn't seem too erotic until he looked around and saw what was at the back of the store. 

He saw a few shirts that made him chuckle, 'working harder than an ugly stripper' he wouldn't get it but it was pretty funny. 'I'm the nicest asshole you'll ever meet' he was half tempted to get that for Gavin. One he was definitely getting was 'In my defense I was left unsupervised' he was tempted to get one for Hank too. 

He saw one shirt that he had to get for himself, it said 'I prefer dogs over people'. A lot of the shirts would fit Gavin incredibly well. 

_ Trying to focus on the shirts, he was glad nothing was said about all the toys at Spencer's. That was definitely something he wanted to allow Connor to see, be curious with, but after all the teasing earlier- he was pretty sure he could combust from want and adoration, like a cocktail lit on fire. _

_ Then Gavin spotted a hoodie, snickering as he pulled it out to show Connor. It was black, police lightbar on the top 'flashing' and then in bold white font, 'FUCK THE POLICE' under it. "Should I? I love your hoodie but this is pretty good." He was smirking, mischief in his eyes as he also found a tanktop with 'two bros chilling in a hot tub' with a cartoon image of the words, and a five foot marker between them. _

_ He loved meme shirts, and honestly all of this was making him snicker and laugh softly. He found another shirt- 'because it's the one thing you can't replace' and mimed the voice, definitely knowing the comedian it's from. He's gay and lived during the 2010s, of course he knew. _

"But I am…" then he burst out laughing. "You should definitely get that." He couldn't stop laughing at himself. He pulled himself together though to keep looking. 

They had a lot of lava lamps and other cool things that he wanted to touch, like the plasma ball. He couldn't hold back and reached out, touching the ball. He knew how they worked, of course he did, but it was still really fucking cool. 

Those toys were very close to the other toys so after he was done looking at the plasma ball he turned and snorted. There was a penis shaped lollipop. It wasn't android safe but he was still half tempted to get one. 

_ Watching Connor catch on got him to laugh too, nodding at the comment and holding it in his arm. He also got the John Mulaney shirt, making sure to watch that at some time with Connor if he hadn't already. _

_ Gavin never got into lava lamps, having a nerdy brother and uptight family, so for a moment he forgot the point of them existing beyond just aesthetic. He watched one go for a bit and then watched as Connor messed with the plasma ball, and distinctly remembered stories of three year old Gavin being terrified of those.  _

_ He didn't really have interest in the toys beyond seeing Connor's reaction. Spencer's was a great start for that stuff but he was a bit past just starting. Still, he couldn't help but look around at everything, getting ideas and different things he was curious about. _

Connor chuckled at the gag gifts before looking at the other stuff. There were toys that interested him somewhat but what got his attention was a few of the outfits. Most were originally for feminine people but he still liked them. He liked the leather ones but he also liked the lace. 

The lace was more elegant than the leather or latex and softer too. One in particular caught his eye. It was a black and red, three piece keyhole lace bra and panties. It had a garter and adjustable starps and the pattern within the lace was beautiful. He'd probably only wear the garter and panties but he wasn't against also wearing the bra. 

"What do you think of this one?" Connor asked, turning to show the outfit to Gavin.

_ He noticed that they lingered by the outfits, and while some were funny, there was so much lace and latex and though those were nice, they weren't on him. He looked at the leather collars, glad he had an expensive one, and then noticed the new leather cuffs they had. They had little paw print chains on them, and he adored them. _

_ Looking over to Connor, he gulped at first. His head immediately thought of the other straining against them, blindfolded and Gavin being able to kiss and mark him. "It's cute- but I bet the lace feels even better than it looks? Have you worn lace before?" It was definitely an acquired taste, and then Gavin had the best idea. Sensory deprivation for Connor- letting go of control completely and just feeling the other.  _

Connor thought before shaking his head, "I haven't, but I very much like the texture of it. It can be both soft or scratchy at the same time, and I like that." He'd found that some textures he just couldn't stand while others he'd enjoy touching. 

He didn't miss how Gavin seemed to like the cuffs with paw prints. They were definitely cute and he'd grab it to buy when Gavin wasn't looking. He wanted at least one thing to be a surprise (other than the bath bombs he ordered).

He wasn't exactly sure what size he'd need since it was meant for a female body. Definitely not a small, probably a large or XL. He checked the back of the package and thankfully found a chart with measurements. He grabbed the right sized package and grinned. He didn't have any clothes that were meant for intimacy so he decided to get it.

_ "It's definitely an experience all of it's own. You should try it though." He started to look for something specifically, and was glad when he found a pair. Making sure Connor got the size he wanted with the lace, he pat his arm before moving over to grab the noise cancelling earmuffs. Trying to read if they'd work on androids, he couldn't figure it out. He came back over, humming a bit as he stopped. _

_ "I have an idea for a night I'll take control- here try these out for a minute." He held up the headphones to the other, looking to him expectantly. "I think you'll like this idea, it's definitely something softer though." _

Connor tilted his head at the headphones before taking them. "I can turn off my hearing, it's a bit odd though." He put the headphones on and was a bit stunned. It was a different type of silence than when he'd turn his hearing off. It was...more pleasant. 

It wasn't completely silent, he could still hear somewhat but he could just turn down his hearing to human levels to make it have the same effect. "I like these more than turning off my hearing." He said while taking them off. 

He did figure out why he'd need headphones and he definitely liked the idea. After becoming deviant he had gotten overstimulated a few times especially when his brain gave him too much information all at once. He really found the idea of sensory deprivation alluring. 

_ Beaming to him for a second, he took the headphones back. "Yeah I would rather use these- it's not just about the loss of hearing. You would have your hands tied- with something soft like silk. And definitely wearing something like this, so that every movement is felt." Pressing closer so that no one else could eavesdrop. _

_ "I have a silk blindfold at home as well. You wouldn't have to worry about a single thing til the session is done, and I promise you I have every intention to spoil you with this." Maybe a toy too- a vibrator. He wondered how many rounds he could safely drag out of Connor. He stepped back then, all devious grin to him and his hoodie and headphones held happily. _

_ "Anything else you wanna look at? I'm going to find some body glitter- used the last of mine," in the last op but not that he was going to think of that, "and I just- like glitter." He shrugged at that. He had glitter hair gel even, just for every wear if he wanted to change it up. _

He let out a shaky breath his mind unhelpfully bringing up warnings about his thirium pump becoming faster. Gavin was very lucky they were in a public place because otherwise he probably would have pushed him up against a wall. 

Instead he blushed a deep blue and shifted from foot to foot, grabbing his drink- from a bag he dropped it in to look around- and chugging the rest. 

At the comment of glitter he couldn't help but smile. That stuff got everywhere and wouldn't come out for years, but he saw the appeal. It definitely looked good on Gavin. "I'll probably just look at the plasma ball again." That wasn't exactly a lie but he wanted to grab the cuffs while Gavin wasn't looking. 

_ Proud couldn't even begin to describe the joy of seeing Connor so worked up. He couldn't wait for Monday when he could tease the other at work. Just to dig his own grave, he leaned up to kiss the other's cheek when he finished off his drink.  _

_ "Alright- I'll be up at the register then." He snuck another kiss, hearing a giggle from a trio behind him, and smiled despite the light dusting of red on his cheeks. Moving away he went up to the register, glad to see no line. He did get distracted by a hat and some rubber bracelets. _

_ The hat was a black snapback, with an up arrow on the left and a down arrow on the right of 'switch it up'. And then there was some funny statements- they were like a dollar each and Gavin let out a puff of air at the idea. One was 'my cat owns me', another was 'dog daddy', and then he even found one for Hank. 'Bring back the 80s'. The cat was yellow with black text, the dog was white with black text, and Hank's was some colorful 80's pattern with white text. _

Connor waited for a few seconds, making sure Gavin wouldn't see before grabbing the cuffs. He looked at them more closely and they were very adorable. He was excited to see what all Gavin already had. 

He did grab the 'In my defense I was left unsupervised' shirt for himself along with ''I prefer dogs over people' for Hank. He put the cuffs between the two shirts so Gavin wouldn't see. 

He walked up behind Gavin and placed a hand on the small of his back gently. He knew he walked quietly and didn't want to startle him. "Once you're done I'll pay for mine. Though I'll have to ask you to at least turn around, I got something for a surprise."

_ There was a slight jump at the touch, but the voice calmed him and he leaned into the arm instead. 'When did I get so relaxed?' There were still people, and there was still going to be a crowd outside the store. Yet, he was still calm enough to not elbow Connor accidentally. "Alright- I grabbed you and Hank a bracelet and found a hat." He fished out his card, passing it over when asked. "Keep the bracelets out please." He corrected, and then moved to grab his bag. _

_ Putting on the cat one, he held out the other two. "Would you like me to just wait outside?" He offered, though he definitely was excited for what surprise the other got. There were so many options and he tried to curb his excitement by bouncing on his heels. _

He had the urge to wrap Gavin in a hug and never let go because he was so adorable, but he simply placed a kiss to his cheek. 

He smiled at the bracelets and took them, putting his on. He put the one for Hank in his pocket to keep safe. "Thank you, I love it." 

"You can if you want, or you can stay here, just no peeking." He moved his hand away in case Gavin wanted to wait outside, smiling politely to the cashier. 

_ "You're very much welcome. I will get out of your hair though, I'm way too curious and sneaky to be in the same room as a secret." He laughed at that, leaning up to kiss Connor back, though he actually missed the quick peck he was trying to land on the other's lips. Instead he kissed the top of his nose. _

_ Of course he rolled with it, turning a bit red and then pecking him on the lips. He checked the time, noticing it was getting close to closing time already. Time flew by, and he hadn't even noticed. "We'll be able to get in like one more store before we should actually try to get to the one I need." He shrugged then, looking to Connor. "I'll be outside." With that he actually went to the door, and looked around. _

_ There were less people finally, more so young adults and people hitting the food court before they closed. He leaned against the wall, debating on messaging Tina before deciding against it, and just browsed his social media. _

"You two are adorable." The cashier says, taking the items and ringing them up. 

"Thank you!" Connor blushed and stood awkwardly. He didn't really know what else to say, so he just stayed quiet. It didn't take long before he had his bag of stuff and was walking out. 

He was appreciative that he could take pictures without alerting anyone. He took one of Gavin leaning against the wall before clearing his throat. "Where to next?"

_ Looking up, Gavin put the phone away, kicking off the wall. "Back towards where we parked to the last store unless we can find one you want to head into first?" Gavin offered, moving over to him. Shifting his bags to one arm, he made sure he was on the side Connor was supposed to be taking it easy with, and wrapped his now free arm around Connor's. _

_ "Has this been a good day for you? I've honestly had a lot of fun- and would love to do this again." Eventually there would be more android-specific items, hopefully a store, that Connor could take him through, tell him excitedly what did what. He wasn't surprised there wasn't an outright Cyberlife store within the mall- most of them tended to be their own buildings. But still, maybe they would put a store in the mall. Hopefully. _

Connor nodded, holding all the bags on his good arm and the other around Gavin. The mall seemed to be slowing down, most people heading out or finishing up. It was oddly calm like this. 

"This has been great and I'd love to do it again. I know some people don't like to shop, but I enjoy it. You being here made it even better." He said, smiling at Gavin as they walked. 

He swung the arm with the bags just slightly as they walked. He felt so peaceful yet excited like this. He was excited for what was to come, and that's not just from the sexual things. He was excited to just be with Gavin. "I love you."

_ "Phck yeah, I like shopping. I mean, there's a lot of items you order, simply because these stores don't have the good quality for them, but- I also like seeing things in person. Doing it with someone else- it's fun to bounce ideas off of you, instead of just being alone." Gavin snuggled into the other, very comfortable like this. Everything was warm and perfectly noisy enough to keep him out of his head, yet not too crowded to scare him. _

_ He loved working so much because of this combo- the DPD had the same effect. Noisy enough to zone out or zone in, not get lost in his own head, yet not that crowded. Busy but not overbearing. He wished the mall would be open longer like this. He looked to the stores before stopping, remembering their conversation from days and days ago. He turned at the words, grinning to him. "I love you too. Hey, you still interested in doing makeup Con?" _

_ He guided him to the Ulta store. There wouldn't be that many people inside, and it would be the perfect thing to wind down with from all the teasing and goofy stores. Of course if he didn't want to, he could see the nondescript store front he needed to head into before leaving, so it wasn't out of their way. _

Connor nodded walking slightly faster into the Ulta store. "Welcome, need any help finding anything?" The person said at the cash register. He could figure out their sex but decided against it, glancing at their name tag and seeing their pronouns. 

"No thank you," Connor nodded smiling before looking around. It was a brighter store but not too harsh on the eyes. There were the products set in front so people could test them and see what was in each pallet. 

He walked over to the eyeshadow first. A few pallets were bright, bold colors, others were more natural colors and others were a mix of the two. He didn't really know which he liked more so he looked at each, touching some to see what the texture was like. He touched one and then brought his finger up, licking it. 

It consisted of talc, zinc stearate, octyldodecyl stearoyl stearate, isostearyl neopentanoate, tocopheryl acetate, caprylyl glycol, hexylene glycol, phenoxyethanol, silica, mica, and coloring agents. It didn't taste good but he wanted to know what was in it. 

_ Gavin followed after Connor, glancing to the name tag as well. He normally had a 'they' rule til he heard otherwise. "Thank you though." He added, and looked around the store. He wondered what exactly he wanted to try out first, before Connor spotted the samples. _

_ Gavin thought when Connor was going to bring his finger into one, he was going to apply it. Like Gavin often would apply it to his cheek, to test out how it matched with his eyes and skin. So when he licked his finger, Gavin sputtered, moving over to pull his hand away with a pink face. "Babe- Con- you don't need to lick that?" He was so confused why the other did, knowing how smart Connor could be. "Would you like me to show you what I typically do?" _

_ He had seen a new palette he wanted to try, copper and yellow. He doubted it would suit him but he wanted to try it nonetheless. _

Connor nodded, putting his arm down. "I wanted to know what was in it, so I tested it." He wasn't going to admit that he hadn't gotten to actually analyze something for a while and he had the urge to do so, so he did. 

He scrunched up face at the aftertaste. It definitely wasn't good so he tried to clear it out before talking again. 

"That would be nice. My programming didn't cover this and looking it up didn't yield much feedback." Most forums just said do what felt right, so he had been trying that. 

_ Gavin blinked very rapidly, opening and shutting his mouth before just shaking his head. 'This adorable dipshit,' he didn't even stop the smile he had at that. "Alright- just warn me next time. Your analyzing program works on non-liquids?" Looking over everything, he made a face not seeing anything to wipe off with. _

_ "Wait here one minute." He moved away, looking around til he spotted make-up wipes. Quickly buying a pack, he came back over to Connor with them. "Alright- wasn't planning on wearing more than eyeliner today, typically don't carry any on me unless I plan to need them." _

_ He tugged Connor over to the palette, setting the wipes down. "Ok, so, what I typically do is look for colors that either fit my eyes, that I like, or that match my outfit." He wasn't the best at fashion, but it was still fun to play with. "With this, I think it's just a nice color set, it probably won't match me well, but it's a nice combo. So what I do-" he showed the other by taking his finger and making a strip on his cheek, under his eye. "Is make strips of the palette under my eyes, on my cheek. Easy to clean off, plus you can see how it compares. What color do you wanna try first?" _

"It does, as long as I can pick up any particles I can test it. Unfortunately most things I do analyze don't taste very good." Whenever he went to a crime scene he'd turn his taste bud receptors off so he wouldn't have to actually taste anything. 

He was wearing darker clothes so he decided he'd pick one that was also darker. Connor looked at the colors, he picked one called Smokeshadow which was a darker copper and it was slightly glittery. He copied Gavin and made a stripe down his cheek, looking in the mirror above the pallets. It was a nice color, a bit lighter than his eyes. 

_ "Huh- reminder to get Eli to make breathmints then- cause all that can't possibly taste good." This was a weird conversation, so Gavin dropped it, shaking his head before trying out the rest of the colors. They went well with his skin tone and hair, but yellow wasn't Gavin's color. He pulled out a wipe to wipe it off. _

_ He looked to Connor then, liking the natural tone on him, but more so the glitter. He was such a sucker for glitter. "Here, for when you need it. I need to find a color similar to the one I have at home that's low. Have fun exploring these." He eyed the palettes, and headed towards the reds and oranges. He thought, briefly, about looking at a pale lipstick to wear, something natural to cover the way his own lips were bitten to heck and back, but eventually just settled on a clear with glitter and some 'taste' to it(they never taste like they're supposed to). _

He took the wipes and nodded smiling at Gavin before looking at the palettes. 

The first one he found that he liked was named Self-Made Bae Eyeshadow Palette. It had 12 colors in all, all warm in color. A few were sparkly while six were matte. He tested a few before moving on. It was nice but didn't seem very him. 

The next one was named Precious Eyeshadow Palette and only had six colors. It had matte dark magenta, shimmery crystal peach pink, matte purple brown, shimmery bright fuchsia, shimmery antique gold, and shimmery mauve orchid. Each color had a name in this palette. He tested these two, having to wipe his face afterwards so he could test more. He really liked the dark magenta but he wouldn't buy a whole palette for just one color.

So he moved onto Forever Flawless Ice Eyeshadow Palette. It had 18 different colors, a few glittery while maot were matte. All the colors were cool and most were blue. He decided to grab one to buy.

After that he found The Violets Eye Shadow Palette. This one also had only six colors, all I'm the purple range. Two were matte while the other four were glittery. He really liked the colors but they didn't seem to look good with his eyes. 

He found one with lots of colors called Revolution X Alexis Stone The Instinct Palettea. It had 28 colors, red to pink, purple, grey, blue, green and yellow gradients, all matte. He really liked the diversity so he grabbed it. 

The last one that really caught his attention was Gloomy Days Perfect Filter Shadow Palette. It had ten colors, black, white & grey neutrals with matte, shimmer & duo chromatic finishes. He really liked how these went with his eyes so he also picked up these. He had to wipe his face off again after testing these. 

_ Grabbing a clear coat for him, then one that lacked sparkles for Connor to try out- in case it was harmful somehow for him, he stopped when he seen nail polish. He hadn't painted his nails in ages, given how easy it was to chip the paint in his job. Still, there was a metallic he really eyed. _

_ After a solid moment of consideration, he grabbed it, bringing it back to see Connor try out the last palette. It looked really good on him, and he was excited to have a day they just sat around and had a spa day. 'Should get robes- though to have his own robe in my place would be a little quick wouldn't it? It's like the whole toothbrush thing.' Shaking away the thought, he smiled as he held up the lip gloss. _

_ "Not everyone likes colored lip gloss, so I figured it would be best to get this first. If you like the feeling of it, you can move on to lighter colors and everything in time." This was all about Connor trying things. "Which pile is the ones you're getting?" He had his hands on the Gloomy Days pile. _

Connor showed Gavin the three palettes he had decided to get. While eyeshadow was definitely important I'm makeup he also knew that basic foundation, concealer, primer, contour and highlighting were also important. 

He didn't really need concealer since he'd never get a breakout and foundation wasn't really needed either. He didn't know how well his skin would hold up with makeup so a primer would be needed. Maybe one day they'd have makeup specifically for androids. 

"I really like these three, they seem to match me well." Opening the other two so Gavin could see. "I'll most likely need a primer." He gladly took the lip gloss, looking it over. It was pretty simple, so there wasn't much to see, but part of him was excited to analyze it, but also get the wear it. 

_ Picking them up after Connor showed him them, Gavin grinned as he put his things on top. "Guess what, now I'm holding them so I get to pay for 'em." He stuck his tongue out, stepping back before the other could reach for them again. He made sure to get the color he wanted as well- it was in a pack of sunset based ones. _

_ "I think the primer is down in the isles. Meet me at the register?" Gavin already had the other things for himself, always getting big bottles so he wouldn't have to go out for them as often. It wasn't fun being a guy out alone, but he relied heavily on those things, especially in ops. He had to change his face and cover his scar so often. Not thinking of that, he instead looked to the time. Yeah they definitely did need to get going- it didn't worry him though. He bet he could find the exact replica of his coat there yet- it wasn't nothing with sentimental value. _

Connor let it go only because he would somehow pay for Gavin's jacket. He did squint his eyes slightly at Gavin, playfully reaching out. If he really wanted to, he could take it back, but he didn't. "Hmm, alright. I'll find the primer." 

It was really easy to find thankfully. He looked at the different types before quickly pulling up reviews. The Tatcha Silk Canvas Protecting Primer had the best reviews so he went with that, though it was expensive. He checked his bank and nodded, he would still have plenty. He walked back over, heading towards the check out. 

_ Of course the detective knew if Connor really wanted it, he'd get it somehow or another. That being said, he still took it as a win, staying out of the other's reach and heading to the register. He felt how late it was when even the person running the register looked like they couldn't wait to get home. _

_ He was glad to pay before Connor joined them, picking up the bag and making sure it was in his hand instead of on his arm. Simply moving his things to one of the other bags, he waited for Connor to finish up. "What did you pick for primer?" He couldn't remember his brand, but it probably wasn't something Connor would want to use anyways, since he definitely remembering getting that, along with his concealer and contour stuff in bulk. _

Connor quickly checked out, smiling apologetically to the person working. "Have a good night." They said, Connor nodded and said a quick you roo. 

He puts the small bag inside one of the bigger ones, holding all the bags in his good arm. With the other he took Gavin's free hand as he came over. 

"I got Tatcha Silk Canvas Protecting Primer. It is said to be one of the best primers out there, though it definitely was more expensive than I expected." From the reviews it was definitely worth it. 

_ "You too." He intertwined their fingers when Connor took his hand, standing close to him. What was a mild bustle was now pretty quiet, save from a few people still milling about. _

_ Gavin blinked, never even having heard of it. Maybe he should start talking to Tina again about all this. "Typically, getting things from their specialty shops will be. But hey, if it's worth it it's worth it. Are you going to mess with it on your own or wait for both of us?" _

_ Honestly, doing it before the sleepover sounded fun. Speaking of, Gavin made sure to add the cleaning supplies trip to his morning chores- he really wanted to get home with Connor, and the rest could wait. If he wasn't trying to be patient, he'd honestly say 'phck the coat' and try to get going. _

It seemed like the mall had changed completely with so little people left. He very much preferred it with less people. 

Less people meant it was calmer and if something were to happen less people in the way and less casualties. He knew it wasn't exactly normal to think that way,but brushed it off. 

"I'd like to try it with you, doing it alone when it's my first time doesn't exactly sound like a good idea." He'd probably lick each one if left alone. Connor didn't know which store had the jackets so he let Gavin lead.

_ It unnerved Gavin, reminded him of a zombie movie or some horror movie, when active places became quiet. He was more alert to the people left behind now than he was earlier. Still, he didn't feel as much unease as he would've alone. "Fair enough. We can try to do it before Tina's sleepover? Or some time next week after work?" _

_ He lead the other over to the last store before the exit. The place was still open thankfully, and there was only the older man and a younger man there, speaking fondly to each other. Gavin knew personally the younger was an android- had been months back before the older man got used to the help beyond just in store. "Evening," he called out. _

_ Unlike the other stores, this had a little of everything in it. Knick knacks, posters, wall decor, jackets, parkas, statuettes, even some furniture. Noticeably, it was all crafted things- not from just the old man, but others from the area. _

"Either way works," he nods. He was incredibly excited to try on makeup and try doing it too. 

The store was cozier than the others. While the other stores were run by big companies this one seemed to be run by only one person or a family. He liked the other stores but preferred this one. He loved the handmade items, knowing it probably took years of practice. 

It was pretty easy to find the jacket for Gavin so he quickly walked over, grabbing one. "I'm holding it, so I'm paying." He said, mimicking Gavin from earlier and sticking his tongue out.

_ Trying to keep from looking at all the cat knick knacks and things, he followed after Connor. He blinked when the other grabbed a coat similar to his last one. _

_ The only differences were the aging. Where Gavin's was older looking this one had less give, and it had less marks and nicks.  _

_ "And the student becomes the master- fair enough Con. Thank you," he moved out of the other's way, and instead stretched. He shifted the bags to the other arm, feeling the weight after a bit. _

"I can carry those if you want," Connor suggests. The weight wouldn't bother him and it couldn't exactly dig into his hand either. 

He looks around, spotting a cute carved wooden dog. It's not the same breed as Sumo but it's still cute. There were a bunch of different animals too, but he checked the clock and went to check out. He didn't want to keep the people working any longer than necessary. 

_ "Hey I know I'm the squishier one here but I got this. I've carried more than this for grocery runs, stubbornness knows no vacation." He smiled despite his grumbling. "You worry about your own bags..." _

_ He lowered his voice, not wanting to torment yet another shop with their teasing. Yet he did want to remind Connor of how much he had been teasing him. All. Day. _

_ "Plus if both arms are full, you won't be able to hold me close to you- and I really miss your soft hands on me already." He fake whine to that, resisting the chuckle and letting out puffs of air instead. However when they stood in front of the cashier he just whistled innocently. _

Connor reached over and put his arm around Gavin, pulling him as close to him as possible. He reached up and placed his hand at the bottom of Gavin's neck and gave it a small squeeze, just enough to feel but not enough others would notice. 

He kept his face straight while he did it, smiling at the older man. 

"Will this be all then?" He asks, looking between the two. 

"Yes, sadly his jacket...well it needed to be replaced." Connor said, rubbing a small circle into Gavin's neck. He wanted to tease Gavin without saying anything, his neck seemed like a good idea. 

_ There was almost a 'phcker!' let out at the sudden squeeze, Gavin feeling a shiver hit from the point of contact and roll through him. To call it an electric feeling was ironic, but he melted against the other, closing his eyes and biting the inside of his cheek. _

_ He was doing his best to just look tired, but the other was being downright devious. His voice was maybe a pitch lower than it's teasing tone was. "Remembered I got it here all that while back- if it wasn't so late I'd look around but really don't want to keep everyone waiting." _

_ Having shifted the bags to the arm he would've wrapped around Connor, he was only slightly annoyed about not being able to pay the other back. Mostly he just fought to not make or show any signs of how damn nice that one moving spot of pressure was. The jacket was moved to be bagged and Gavin reached out. "No need, it's pretty cold out plus, gotta break it in. Thank you though." _

Connor smiles at Gavin, pressing a quick kiss to his temple. He loved being able to draw reactions like this from him with a simple touch. He knew Gavin could (and would) do the same to him.

"Have a good night, boys." The man says, smiling at the two. 

Connor nods and moves back, he lets go of Gavin's neck to rest across his shoulders.   


"Ready to go, love?" He leaves them out of the store at a slow, casual pace. This was their planned last stop but he wanted to make sure Gavin didn't have any other ideas. The mall would close very soon but he had no doubt they could get one last store in if they already knew what they were getting. 

_ "You too sir." The man was much older than Gavin, and he had manners, even if they were being tested by his boyfriend. _

_ He breathed a sigh of relief when the other moved his hand away, shifting on his feet to press in as close as he could. "Mmm yeah. Unless you got any ideas you wanna do before we leave," he waits until they're out of the store to continue his sentence, "I do owe you for being good, and you're going to want time to mess with all the rope." _

_ Yeah he had to get cleaning supplies, but he could get them after work. Surprise Connor with an image from somewhere beyond work- and make him wait. _

He preened at the praise, smiling slightly wider and giving Gavin a slight squeeze. "I can't think of anything, so to your place." 

As they left Connor started to heat up, knowing it would be pretty cold outside. He was right, of course, it was 26°F. There was no forecast of rain so they wouldn't be getting any snow tonight. 

He had decided that his first would be the Hishi Karada. It was very pretty and wouldn't impair movement. It could be tied tight but even if it was loose it would still look pretty. 

_ Grinning in response, he temporarily forgot how cold it was out. He quickly pulled on his coat, not bothering with putting his arms in it properly yet. To say he was excited for when spring would stop being so cold at night was an understatement. What he couldn't wrap up pressed against Connor.  _

_ "Did you let Hank know you'll be late- if you don't end up staying the night." Gavin would love if he stayed the night, however, he didn't want the other getting in trouble with Hank for staying out. He lead them to the car, clicking his keys at it and opening the backdoor first. "I'll put my things on the floor and you put yours on the seat?"  _

"I'll let him know." Connor said, already sending the message.

Hank, I will most likely be spending the night at Gavin's. If you need me, just message. 

He knew he didn't actually need to ask permission if he could stay out but he still had that urge. He didn't know if it was because of his programming or because he saw Hank as a father figure. 

Connor nodded and waited for Gavin to put his stuff in before putting the bags down, making it so they would have a harder time sliding around. 

_ Gavin hummed, debating if he wanted to drive or let Connor drive and tease him again. "Do you wanna drive back or me?" Gavin looked up, waiting for the the other to finish putting his things in before wrapping his arms around him. _

_ Maybe the whole 'cat people are cats' thing had some merit, because Gavin absolutely adored the way hugging Connor felt like pressing his chest to the warmest spot on the couch after the sun hit it. "This warming up thing you do- it doesn't stress you out does it?" _

_ Generally he knew that any electronic only warmed up when it was straining, and while he had caught on Connor did it when he was cold, it still worried him. _

Connor nodded, opening the passenger side door for Gavin before walking around to the driver's side. 

He started the car up, checking the mirrors before anything else. 

"It doesn't, I can't do it for too long because then I'll overheat and cause damage but I can do it without injury if I'm careful." He always made sure to keep his core temperature up when he did it, keeping track. 

He cranked up the heat and slowly cooled his core temperature down. Once everything was settled he pulled out and made his way out of the parking lot. 

_ A small 'thanks' as Gavin got in, he watched the other go through the routine while pulling his coat on properly. He definitely felt the difference, but it wasn't a bad thing. If he was more symbolic, he could place value in the coat being like a new future he'd get with Connor. Right now he was too distracted with the way the other looked so at home in his car. _

_ "Shit- please take it easy then- especially since you were injured recently. I'll kick your ass myself if you mess up the recovery cause it's a little cold." He pouted then, absolutely meaning it- or at least the attempt of it. He debated against teasing, since the other deserved a short break from it, and settled for leaning over so his head was on the other's shoulder.  _

_ "Music or naw?" Either way he felt really comfortable, watching out the front window as the day was winding down. _

"Don't worry, I'm careful. I wouldn't do it if I thought I'd actually have a chance at getting hurt." Ok, so that was a lie but Gavin didn't need to know that. He knew that if it ever came to it he'd purposefully overheat if it meant keeping Gavin warm (especially if it was a life or death situation, but let's not think about that). 

He did turn on the music, using his left arm to not jostle Gavin too much. He kept it the sound low though. 

He loved watching the city. He could see people walking together towards who knows where, or family's talking. The city was busy most of the time, but there were always the short periods of what felt like calmness. 

_ Uh huh," Gavin smiled despite the disbelief, but then again, there were both dipshits who'd do whatever they could to protect the other. Speaking of, he needed to restock his emergency repair kit for the other too. He'd have three emergency kits in the trunk, besides the one actually meant for the car then. _

_ When the music came on, it took him a second to realize what it was, but then his fingers were tapping along. Keeping him distracted and busy, he didn't know the popular song beyond hearing it in stores and on the radio the few days he felt like switching it up. "Oh- I need to warn you- Tina's very likely to play like- Running in the 90s and other, really random seeming songs." _

_ How did he explain that Tina had a Vine when she was a teen- he probably still could say 'meme songs from the 2010s' but it sounded so, so much worse to say than to think. "Her taste in music varies from pop to 'oh phck' and also rap. Which can still be the 'oh phck' depending on the artist." _

_ Gavin spent a lot of time watching the city, and it never stopped being fun to do so. To listen in, made stories out of tidbits and personalities from traits they shown in public. _

Connor let out a chuckle but did his best not to move too much. "I don't mind. I like listening to different genres and songs." He had his favorites already but he was always willing to listen to new songs that someone suggests. 

He was excited to see what songs Tina liked. He made notes on all his co-workers, if he felt like he had run out of ideas in a conversation he'd look to see what interests them. It worked very well, and most seemed flattered that he remembered. 

He had brought that up with Hank, worrying because he wasn't sure if they knew he could remember everything. Hank had told him it was the thought that counts and some probably did forget that fact. 

_ "I know, but I figured I'd just warn you cause it's definitely an 'acquired' taste in music. As in Tina has it, Chris definitely doesn't but he's too much of a pushover to say anything, and I'm just used to it at this point." He laughed softly as that, turning to kiss Connor's cheek when he felt the attempt to not move too much. _

_ He appreciated it because Connor, warm or not, was just generally a good pillow. Then he blinked, wondering something very suddenly. "I think I mentioned it when you said about trying to get Hank to play an instrument, but have you ever actually seen like- someone play anything in person? Like a band? Not a concert- concerts kinda suck- but like at a bar or something?" An idea for another 'date' came into mind, and he was really proud of how romantic this idea was- he could pull it off sometime next week. _

Connor thought for a second, pulling up instances where there could have been a chance. "No, I want to though. I heard that music live could make you feel more than when you listen to it recorded." Plus the atmosphere of wherever there was music helped add onto it. 

He did blush slightly at the kiss. He wasn't sure if he'd ever stop blushing when Gavin kissed him, but he didn't mind. He loved it when Gavin kissed him, no matter where, so he'd blush constantly for the rest of his life if it meant Gavin kept kissing him. 

_ "Well, maybe some time next week after work, I can fix that? I mean, it's not going to be the same as a whole band, but I will have to find a band playing somewhere that won't be too packed. But uh, yeah, if it's warm sometime next week, we can head to the park?" Someone out and about, it would allow Gavin to get away with 'packing' them something, and bugging Elijah to help him make sandwiches and something to drink. _

_ He missed the blush this time, more focused on this idea than watching Connor's every reaction for once. He was definitely excited, chewing on his lip without realizing it. _

Connor nodded quickly nodded before calmed back down, keeping his eyes on the road. "I'd love that!" He couldn't wait until then. He loved being able to go on dates with Gavin, and experience new things. 

He did notice Gavin chewing on his lips so he reached over and gently touched them, "you shouldn't do that. Chronic lip biting can cause swelling, rawness and sores. Repeatedly biting the same area can even cause fibromas to develop. Additionally, you could end up with jaw pain and headaches." 

Thankfully traffic wasn't hell so it wasn't too long before they got to Gavin's place. Connor parked and turned the car off, handing the keys back to Gavin. He climbed out and opened the back door, grabbing his bags and a few of Gavin's. 

_ Gavin pouted, nipping his finger when he did that. "Didn't realize I was doing it- I'll try to keep from doing so though." Try being the keyword, he didn't even want to let Connor in on the fact he just generally bit everything when dealing with emotions subtly. _

_ When they got to his place, Gavin was glad to stretch, going to get his bags then actually whining. "Hey hey, gimme those back." He grabbed the rest, hip jutting out and looking to Connor expectantly. "You may be the stronger one here but I'm no pillow princess, hand some of the bags over golden boy." His flexed his hand, bumping the door closed with his hip and his other hand locking it. _

_ He didn't notice a couple of people walking out, all neighbors of his that happened to be androids. The apartment didn't have a list of tenants online, which wasn't unusual for the more rough neighborhood it was. But there were a number of androids in it. One of them scoffed, seeing the two. "Big talk for such a small guy," he started, teasing Gavin and Gavin flipped him off, though he kept his attention on Connor. _

He kept his hold on the bags, sticking his tongue out. "I like helping." He liked doing things for the people he cared about even if it was as small as carrying bags. 

At the comment Connor looked over. Gavin seemed to know them so he smiled. It did interest him that they were both androids. 

The one that commented was a male, SQ800 model, registered under the name Charles. The other was a WJ 700 model, unknown gender, under the name Lennon. 

"Evening." Connor said, nodding his head at the two.

_ It was the small comment that melted Gavin, whining despite it. "Fiiine," then he mumbled, rolling his eyes as he faced the two that joined them. "Only because I can't actually say no to you..." _

_ Coughing to clear his voice, Gavin merely rolled his eyes at that. "Big talk for a guy I watched trip down the steps."  _

_ Charles went slightly blue at that, looking between the two then huffing. "I've explained that I was trying to catch something and didn't remember the stairs being behind me... Evening Connor!" Gavin noticed him change the subject, and counted that as a win, grinning all the while. "It's great to see you up and about already!" _

Lennon looks between the two, shaking their head fondly before reaching out, offering a hand to shake for Connor. 

Connor, of course, took the hand. "Thank you, I got the best care so the credit goes to them. It's nice to meet you both."

"I'm glad. We all saw what happened on tv. I'm Lennon, it's an honor to meet you." Lennon says. 

Connor blushes and looks to Gavin. He's still a bit unsure of how to react when someone says something like that. 

_ Gavin watched the two, not at all as protective as he would be if this wasn't someone he didn't somewhat know. He couldn't do much more than offer an encouraging smile to the other. _

_ Thankfully Charles was there to cut the awkwardness. Gavin remembered most military models having to learn their social cues more so than other's, since they were made to fight. "Yeah it's really great what you did in that building! I don't think there's been a day yet that the 'hero from Detroit' hasn't been on the news." _

_ Gavin cut in then, wanting to keep Charles from gushing about Connor being on the news and flustering him too much. "What are you two going out this late? You guys need anything?" Did he take it upon himself to be a bit of a body guard to those in the apartment building he knew? Absolutely. Plus when they needed a human to buy things, he was all too happy to do so. _

Connor was sure his whole face was blue. He didn't know he was being called that, or who started it. This was probably a daily occurrence for Markus since he was the one that started and led the revolution, and he made a note to check on him.

He did want to check on the people who were injured in the building at some point. He knew that no one else had died but there had been a few serious injuries. If he could do anything to help them, he would.

He would totally kiss Gavin for changing the subject, instead he just reached around and rested his hand on Gavin's waist. He gave him a slight squeeze trying to convey his thanks.

"Was taking this big idiot to get some thirium drinks. He drank the last and didn't tell me." Lennon shoots a playful glare at Charles. 

_ "Look I got distracted by this video- blame Youtube not me." Charles looked as if he knew that was a lame defense, looking away from Lennon at the glare. _

_ Subtly as he could, he stood closer to the other, feeling the squeeze to his hips. His chest rose and fell with the quick, soundless escapes of air he let himself release while the other two were distracted. "Take it easy out there then, I'm going to be a little tied up this evening- but I'll come if you two get into any trouble." _

_ Pausing to look at Connor in the middle of that sentence, almost grinning ear to ear at the joke, he was glad it went right past Charles. "Oh- uh- Is Connor going in with you? Are you going to be hanging out around here more often- I would love to get your autograph at some point!" _

Connor did his best to keep a straight face at the joke but let out a small snort. 

Lennon didn't miss it and looked between the two of them before giving Gavin a knowing look. "We will."

"I, uh, yeah I'd love to. You'll definitely see me around a lot." Connor nodded. One thing Connor did wish he could do with Gavin that he could do with other androids was talk in their heads. 

He was so glad that he was recognized more for all the good that he did than bad. He knew that one day someone would confront him about it, but was glad it was not that day.

He did now realize how someone could remind them of a dog. Charles reminded him of the puppies that would be at the dog parks. 

_ Going a bit red at being caught in the joke, he was so grateful only Lennon caught it. "Get going you two- and be safe!" Gavin wrapped an arm around Connor, tugging softly. Now he wanted out of this conversation, not wanting Charles to catch on. "It's a bit cold, want to head in?" _

_ Charles was excited at the agreement, looking to Lennon. Thankfully androids couldn't sparkle on command, or else he would be. "Awesome! Come on Lennon, I want to get going and back so we can tell Janet about meeting Connor." _

_ Oh boy. This was going to end- horribly. Sure he had an open door policy before the revolution, but right now he really didn't want anyone bugging them tonight. The idea of moving became more and more appealing. _

Lennon smiled and pulled Charles away, saying a goodbye. 

Connor nodded and held Gavin, making it into Gavin's place. He toed off his shoes, making sure they wouldn't be in the way. 

"Those two seem nice. Have you known them long?" He asks, placing the bags on the table. He smiled and knelt down when Doa came over, scratching behind her ear. 

_ Shoes coming off beside Connor's, he set the bags on the chairs, taking his coat off and draping it across the back of one. Doea, the traitor, went to Connor first and he couldn't help but smile at seeing Bastard already on the counter. He went over, scooping food into the wall and refilling the water for both of them. _

_ "Huh? Oh yeah- uh-" He had to process the question. "A couple months- they moved in here around the revolution." He hated he resorted to vagueness, but that was not a conversation he was having tonight. "We met at a house party- or rather- apartment party pfft." Moving over to Connor, he didn't wait to pull him into a hug, _

_ "Wanna wait in the bedroom and I'll grab everything?" _

Connor hugged back, taking in a deep breath. His nose was just as sensitive as the rest of him and he had found that Gavin's smell was calming. He didn't know how to describe it, but he definitely liked it. 

He pulled back and grabbed the Spencer's bag. "Sounds like a good plan, once you join me I'll give you your gift." 

He gave Gavin a quick kiss before walking towards the bedroom. He left the door open and sat on the bed, legs hanging off. 

_ There was a pause at the word 'gift', Gavin not remembering the other getting him something. 'That sneaky fucker!' He let out a short laugh that the other got one past him. _

_ He had to go into the spare room, finding he hadn't moved these things back simply because he hadn't needed them. Pulling out a bin from the closet, he debated just moving the whole thing tonight back to his own closet. It was a sound enough idea, so he dug around and pulled out the ropes. He had a set of leather, a set of white silk, and a two sets of regular shibari rope. One was a deep red, and the other was plain black. _

_ Setting those on top after he closed the bin, he dug out the suitcase that went with the rest of his stuff and carried both to the bedroom. "I figured I'd move everything to this closet tonight since I'll actually get to use it again. I uh- didn't know which ropes you'd want, so I brought all four." He nudged the closet door open and kicked the dress shoes aside to place the bin and suitcase in beside it. _

_ Standing up he brought the ropes back with him to the bed, holding them in his hands. "Should be more than enough of each set for me- there's enough for suspension designs here." He did not have suspension hooks, sadly- usually taking the ropes with him to clubs that had them. _

He took the ropes and looked them over, running his hand down them. He liked the softness of the silk but also liked the look of the leather. 

"Do you have a preference?" He could do the pattern in any of them, so it was really up to Gavin. 

They'd definitely use each type at some point, but he wanted to learn what Gavin liked the most. He'd also gain his own preferences but for now he was completely open to any. 

He grabbed the Spencer's bag and put it in his lap, making sure Gavin couldn't see in. Once they had decided on the type of rope then he'd give it to him. 

_ "Not a preference but I guess a tip?" Gavin moved to sit beside the other, one leg folding up as he pulled the black ropes into his hand just to run them over it. "So, depending on the design and the effect you want the ropes to have is what you want to use. Typically for more," Gavin went red, pausing to find the right words. _

_ "Heavy play, I got with leather. It's more restraining, less give. Function over looks. For someone who's new to this, either being tied or tying up, I go with silk. A lot more forgiving, doesn't bite, easier to break out of. The ropes are just between those- it's what I bring if I'm heading to a club. They can have bite, yet they can be very loose as well- I'd say since it's you, I'd start with the ropes. Especially since I'm going to be wearing these for a while." _

_ Gavin held out the two colors. "When we have more time alone, we can try out the rest." _

Connor nodded, listening carefully. Gavin knew more than him on this subject and he didn't want to miss anything. He had instructions on how to do the design, but Gavin had personal experience so he knew what not to do. Connor could learn a lot but it was always slightly different while actually doing it.

He looked between the two colors, picking the dark red. He set it down on his leg and grabbed the bag. 

He didn't do much dramatics with pulling the cuffs out and holding them out for Gavin. "I noticed you liked these." 

_ "Huh- oh! Oh these are still so cute," Gavin smiled, leaning over to wrap himself around Connor. "Thank you babe. Yeah I was, they're really cute and I could probably get away with wearing them in public if I plan it right. I just didn't want to spend a bunch in Spencer's on just toys." _

_ He kissed the other's cheek, then closer to his lips before pulling back. "You've been so good today, do you want me to do anything else Con?" He placed one of his hands over Connor's, thinking of several things he could do to praise the other. Not limited to kissing every inch of his skin til Connor was in patches again, or seeing just how much his tongue could take the other apart. _

Connor smiled, pleased that Gavin liked it. He wrapped his arms around Gavin and pulled him in so he was sitting on his lap. He ran his hand up and down Gavin's spine through his shirt.

He pulled back the skin on his hand, almost unknowingly. His hand glowed where they touched. He did shiver slightly at the contact.

Connor thought for a second. He had a few ideas, most he'd save for later. There was one that he wanted to see if he liked, but he already felt himself blushing.

"I… I do have an idea. I'm not sure if I'd like it or not, though." He trailed off, looking away slightly.

_ "We can try it out, and if at any moment you want to stop, you say so." The hand running along his spine had him arcing forward, slightly ticklish with how gentle the touch was. Especially when he felt the change from skin to soft plastic- it took everything in him to not whine for more. _

_ "I'm serious when I say- I'll be infinitely more pissed if you ever force yourself to do something because you think I'll like it. I've both done that and been on the receiving end of that- and it's never fun." He moved his hands up to hold Connor's cheeks, eyes serious as his thumbs smoothed over the skin. "I love you, and the most important thing to me is that you enjoy this as much as I do." _

Connor smiled and leaned forward, kissing Gavin. He felt so much for him that it could be overwhelming in the best ways. "I love you too." He kept running his hand down his back, liking the reaction it brought out. 

"It's nothing too...eccentric. Um, could you maybe try calling me" he paused for just a second, "sir? If not that's totally fine, you don't have to if you don't want to." The idea had popped into his head. He wouldn't really mind if Gavin didn't want to. 

_ Honestly, he should've expected it to be something so soft, and couldn't help the stupid grin he got at the other's pausing and uncertainty. He leaned forward, kissing the other once more. "Is that all you'd like, sir?" He definitely didn't mind it, it wasn't daddy or master, both terms he indulged in before.  _

_ "If it's too much, I can stop anytime you like, sir." He had this kink since academy, both being called and calling it out, so he definitely didn't mind doing so. "If not, permission to strip sir?" Gavin sat back onto Connor's knees, feeling a spike of anxiety because he really didn't know if Connor wanted the whole thing, or just the title. But this was what they were supposed to doing, and Gavin would rather know than kill the mood later. _

He felt a rush through him and knew he liked it. Something about it made him feel puissant. That was the only word he could think of that got close to this feeling.

He liked how it sounded from Gavin. He could tell that Gavin at least partially liked it too, which made him feel even more confident.

Connor nodded at Gavin, "you may." It was a bit odd but he enjoyed it too. He could definitely get used to it. 

_ He tried for an encouraging smile, slowly popping each button and then shrugging the shirt off. "How far do you want to go tonight, sir?" He definitely purred the title this time, lifting his hips as he unbuckled his belt, not wanting to get up til he had to. Just in case, he kept his boxers on. _

_ Honestly he was fine if he didn't get off tonight, simply because it would be easier for all the messing around if so. However, he definitely wanted to get Connor off, but wanted the other's idea first. _

He set the rope on the bed, he wanted to do that last so Gavin could sleep in it if he wanted. He didn't want to get the ropes dirty just in case that was something that wasn't ok, or Gavin didn't like. Plus he wanted to take his time doing that, and thought it would be nice to do after.

"As far as you want. I was thinking I could be inside of you tonight." He also had an idea of the position he wanted them in. 

He'd have to get a few more pillows to make sure Gavin was comfortable if he also wanted to. "What do you think about being bent over the bed?"

_ The way Connor phrased that had Gavin turning red, though he definitely liked the idea. He noticed the other put the ropes down, and was about to remind him that this was all for him tonight. Then the other mentioned bending him over the bed and he forgot about what he was thinking of. _

_ "I think that's a great idea- sir. When do you want to mess with the ropes- I know you've been looking forward to that." Almost forgetting the title, he guessed Connor wasn't going to reprimand him for forgetting it, but it was an old instinct to quickly add it. If he was worried about Gavin being uncomfortable, Gavin wanted to ease those worries now, getting off the other's lap. He hooked his thumbs into his pants, smirking a bit as he waited for the other to say something. _

"I was thinking afterwards. I know that shibari can have a calming effect if done correctly." It could be calming for the both of them. Some people with anxiety had even said it helped them. 

He did stand, running an unskinned hand down Gavin's side. It was a bit unusual for one of them to be so undressed while the other wasn't. He kind of liked it though. He didn't know exactly why or what that would be called, but he could figure that out later.

He leaned forward and kissed Gavin roughly, nipping at his lip. He made sure not to draw blood though, at least not yet.

_ "Yeah, plus doing it after, you already have the muscles very relaxed if you need to move me into certain positions to get a knot right." He wondered if that was just him or not. Just to tease the other a bit, he smiled to him, all knowing grin. "But I bet you already knew that, given how thoughtful you are, sir." _

_ A gentle shiver ran through him at the hand, feeling the soft and smoothness of it. He bet the other could feel the exact way he trembled at the simple touch. A brief thought of having both of them go back to work and being unable to touch each other- he wondered how sensitive and needy he would become for just a touch. Something to bring up later. _

_ Gavin kissed back happily, gasping as he felt the nip. He did let out an actual whine then, arms reaching around the other. _

He did know, but he didn't mind being told. He made sure to do as much research as possible because the last thing he wanted to do has hurt Gavin unintentionally when he didn't want it. 

The feeling of Gavin's warm skin under his hypersensitive hands would never get old. He loved being able to pull his skin back without worrying about being judged or Gavin being disgusted by it. 

He bit just slightly harder before swiping his tongue across the lip, tasting just the slightest bit of blood. Of course his brain analyses it but he pushes the results away. 

_ The slight taste of iron got a groan from him, the tingle of pain from the harsher bite prompting him to press against the other. He knew he should be removing his pants, but that required moving away from the other. So instead he tangled a hand in the other's hair, and moved his other hand to rest on Connor's hip, squeezing in response to the hand on his side. _

_ He did have to pull back to breathe, eyes flicking down to Connor's lips. He leaned back in for another kiss as soon as he could though, finally angling his hips away and moving the hand off of Connor's hips to deal with his own pants. _

He didn't need to breathe but he was still panting when Gavin moved away. He kissed back, just as rough as before. 

He did reach out and help Gavin pull down his pants, along with his underwear. Once Gavin was out of them he ran his hand down Gavin's side to the top of his thigh before reaching back and pulling him close again by his ass. 

"So fucking beautiful." Connor mumbled, kissing down Gavin's neck, biting a bit roughly in some places. If he bit him hard he made sure to lick at it and press another kiss before moving down again. 

_ It was hard to not press into the other, see if he could get him to sit and keep up with all the want Gavin had. He wanted to ride this man til he couldn't process anything, but it was Connor's night. He was definitely bringing up the idea later. _

_ Stepping out of his clothes, he was happy to get his hand back on Connor, squeezing tightly to the point his hand shook. He didn't stop the loud whine as he was pulled close. _

_ The kiss being broken, Gavin didn't bother muffling himself this time, gasping out the other's name and tilting his head. "Oh phck sir- please don't stop that, please." He knew these would leave new bruises and was so stupidly happy about that, moving so his hand would slip under the fabric of his shirt and hold onto his hip better. _

Connor hummed happily at Gavin's hands on him, he bit at his neck a bit too rough though. It didn't draw blood but it was close. He mumbled a quick sorry before pressing a kiss to the bruising skin. 

That one would definitely last awhile and be darker than the others. He kept it up, leaving bites down the sides of his neck, murmuring I love yous into his skin. He also hit down on the crook of his neck, squeezing his ass as he did. 

He felt a proudness at drawing these sounds out, and he knew he could be rough and they had an easy way to let each other know to stop or slow down. It helped him not worry as much about using too much strength or being too rough. 

As he kept it up, trying to get every bit of skin covered he knew Gavin would be sore tomorrow. He hoped it wouldn't affect his work though, knowing that Gavin wouldn't stop even if it was too painful. He loved how ambitious he is, but he was also stubborn as fuck. That they most definitely had in common. 

_ There was a mix of reactions as the skin almost gave, a moan mixing into a whine when the other let up just before the skin broke. "Don't be- phck please don't be." He was definitely breathless, the kiss a soft brush that almost didn't register. _

_ There was a stream of noises, a mix of soft 'ah's and curses, until there was another squeeze and bite to the crook of his neck. He let out a louder cry of 'Connor!' at the feeling, bucking his hips slightly. Removing his hand from Connor's hair and instead letting it grip onto his shoulder, his other hand slid down. _

_ Slipping down under his pants, he pulled back, biting back the whine at the loss of the feeling. "Sir, can I please take something off of you?" His shirt- his pants- anything really. Connor was a work of art to him, more so when he glitched and his skin exposed patches. Gavin loved knowing he caused the other to lose control. _

He groaned as Gavin bucked, pressing himself against him. Everything felt so amazing that he never wanted this to end.

He kept the skin off both his hands, but kept the skin on everywhere as he kissed and bit at Gavin's neck. He didn't want this to end too quickly.

Connor deeply grumbled slightly when Gavin moved back. "You may." Him being fully clothed while Gavin wasn't was nice but he also wanted all of his clothes off too. He'd rip them off if he didn't like them so much, but he did so he let Gavin do it.

_ There was a visible shiver at the grumble, and oh he wanted that to happen again. Just to tease the other back, and give himself a break, he started with the shirt. Making sure his palms touched the other's skin, he slowly drug it upwards, letting the fabric drag and catch. _

_ It was slow on purpose, and he was glad it was finally off so that his hands could run over the skin again. "So handsome, so gorgeous, and I get to run my hands over every perfect inch of you." He didn't bother with the pants, not yet, instead just admiring him like this. "This reminds me- sir, will I get to mark you up too?"  _

He knew Gavin was going slow on purpose and it was driving him crazy. He loved it so much though, feeling his erection twitch in his pants. He'd need these off soon with how tight they were getting. 

He shivered at the cold against his skin then the heat of Gavin's hands. They were rough and callused but that made it even better. 

He checked his health level making sure he was in good enough shape. He had drank a good amount of thirium so he would be fine as long as he drank more tomorrow. He wanted Gavin's marks and was so happy that he could. "You can now." 

_ 'You can now.' Gavin would have to literally knock sense into someone who though Connor wasn't a romantic. The familiar words in a familiar situation, Gavin melted into a soft mush inside before surging up to kiss Connor. Both hands on the sides of Connor's face, he pulled him into a deep kiss, trying to portray how much love he felt for the other. _

_ Pulling back only when he couldn't breathe, he quietly let out an 'I love you' before his hands dropped, holding onto the other's arms as he started to kiss and suck at the other's skin, gentle hickies for now. Of course he nipped a good one, something that could be hidden if Connor wanted it to be. _

Connor smiled into the kiss, arms around Gavin's back. He felt a large surge of affection bubble up as they kissed. 

"Ah! I love you too." Titling his head to give Gavin more access. "You-you don't have to be gentle." His eyes fluttered closed at the kisses, letting out breathy sighs and soft moans.

He wanted to be able to show off all the marks on his neck Gavin would leave. 

He wanted to be able to walk down the street and have people know he was happily taken. He wanted to look in the mirror and see them. 

_ He was answered with a soft chuckle. "I know I don't have to, but you deserve the best of both worlds, don't you sir?" He didn't move away to speak, the words almost muffled with how close he was. _

_ However he did understand the want, and moving to the left side, he started to leave harsher bites. Never breaking the skin, knowing Connor should still be recovering in some way, he left deeper hickies, licking and trailing teeth down his shoulder. He kept at it til he had to bend to hit the collar bones, then started tailing back up again as he made his way to Connor's lips, pulling on the bottom lip before kissing him. _

Connor squeezed Gavin's hips, become louder and louder. He was muffled by Gavin's kiss, but he still let out a moan. It all felt so good. 

He moved back just slightly to be able to talk, lips still brushing against Gavin's. "Do you want to prepare yourself or should I?" The idea of Gavin doing it himself was appealing but he also loved doing it himself. Either way he'd be happy. 

He also needed to take these pants off. He pulled them off, but kept his underwear on. He reached down and took Gavin in his hand, slowly pumping him a few times. 

_ A small whimper at him moving away, he thought about it briefly. While he loved what Connor did last time, he had a feeling that the other would like the show of it more than anything right now. "I can do it sir, let you relax and enjoy the show. You know, this is a good time to ask about- ah!" He was cut off by his own gasp, head laying on the other's shoulder as his hips bucked. _

_ "Oh phck- phck phck- Connor-" He moved into the other, eyes closing and just enjoying the feeling that was the other's hand on him. "Feels good, feels really good." _

He didn't stop his hand but he didn't speed up either. "Ask about what?" 

His other hand stayed on Gavin's hip, making him stay still. He kept his hand going but wasn't sure if he should put the skin back on. It might feel weird without. Skin was rougher than his chassis so it probably felt better with it on. 

He kept the skin off the hand that held Gavin's hips his hand glowing blue, but put the skin back on the hand that held Gavin. 

He placed gentle kisses over the forming bruises, very gently licking them. He didn't leave any new bites, just completely being the opposite of what he's done before. He wanted to overwhelm Gavin in the best way.

_ There was a whine when the hand around him shifted, and Gavin was honestly enjoying the contrast of feelings. He would have to mention that later, when his head was properly on it's shoulders. "Ask about- about using a ring- cockring. Mmf." He kept moving, and it felt like his body was both on fire and weightless. _

_ "Wanna see you come apart repeatedly, but I know you'll last longer than me. Don't want to- ah- end the fun so soon." He felt like his head was in fuzz, and he knew if he didn't stop Connor now there was no way he was lasting as long as he'd like. So reluctantly he pulled away, eyes opening slowly as his hand reached for Connor's. "Like right now, I'm going weak for all these touches, and I said this is your night." _

Connor did remove his hand but he did so very slowly. He smiled and kissed Gavin. 

"I enjoy pleasuring you. As for a cockring, if you'd like to I'm totally willing." He didn't know exactly how many times he could get an erection and ejaculate in one night, but he'd be interested to find out at some point. 

"I know that they can be made out of multiple different materials. Do you already have one?" He also knew that they could help to achieve and sustain harder, firmer erections—even post ejaculation, and can intensify orgasms too. 

He briefly wondered if those worked on androids. If not, maybe a company would make ones that did. It wouldn't be a bad idea either since more and more androids were in relationships regardless of their original purpose. 

_ "I know you do you tease, but as much as I pride myself on stamina and the ability to last several rounds, thank you very much- I know I couldn't outlast you." He kissed the other briefly, nodding to his question after tugging on his lip. _

_ "I do- I have a couple. Depends on the need for it, but if you want to see how it works tonight, I can get out a silicone one?" Gavin knew all too well the perks of them, having used them often- probably more than anything else. Also why he knew it was a bit late to get the metal one on, thanks for the other riling him up so much.  _

_ "Up to you though, sir." He purred out the title, happy with using it or not. The idea was just that, seeing what Connor liked and didn't like. _

Connor thought before nodding, "put one on." It was definitely a command and it felt good. 

Before, he had to (but didn't) obey all orders, he gave none out. Now he had given one to Gavin. He trusted that if Gavin didn't want to do it he'd tell him. He liked the surge of the feeling of power. 

He knew that he didn't want to be in control every time, but Gavin seemed to think the same. He wanted to be in control now, and was incredibly glad that he was and that he had asked for it. 

He subtly knew that Gavin was the one in control though. He had to give up his own control for Connor to take it, so if he didn't do that Connor had nothing to control. It was interesting to think about, but he'd think more on it later. For now he wanted to completely focus on Gavin. 

_ There was a small perk up at the way that was said, and Gavin looked to the other to make sure he was fine with taking control. Of course he did as told when it seemed the other was comfortable, moving to the closet to get the suitcase and open it. _

_ Ignoring everything else in it, he grabbed the sanitizer from the suitcase and the silicone one that was his size. He found an older shirt he didn't care for and used it and the sanitizer to rub down the c-ring. That done with, he walked back over, past Connor to get the lube out of his drawer. Not without stealing a kiss on the way, smiling as he lubed the ring up. _

_ Bracing himself against the bed for a second, he finally slipped it on and hissed at the initial feeling, tensing and relaxing as he got used to the pressure. It took a moment before he was able to stand in front Connor. "What next sir?" His face was a bit red, not thinking he'd be taking orders from the other, but definitely glad he was comfortable with this. _

Connor watched him walk over. It was a very nice view too. He was glad to see that Gavin took care of his toys properly. 

He watched as Gavin put it on, he did notice the hiss. He had known that putting one on after already erect wasn't the best thing in the world. He hoped it wasn't painful though. Silicone was stretchable so he didn't think it would be too bad if it was painful.

He smiled at him proudly when he stood back up in front of him. "Good boy." He meant to say good job but it had just slipped out. He really hoped Gavin didn't mind or maybe even liked it. He hadn't thought to ask about that.

_ Oh Gavin went very red at that, and he wanted to reach out and kiss the other, convince him to keep saying that. The day Connor found out he liked being called kitten was the day Gavin died, he was sure about it. For now he simply bit down on his lip for a second, tongue running over where Connor had drawn blood, before he caught himself. _

_ The feeling was more intense than anything else, and Gavin had to deal with rolling it into place. Imagine a boa constrictor around your arm, slowly working it's way up- same feeling, just more sensitivity. "Only for you sir." His voice was definitely lower, heavy with want and damn, did Gavin want the other. _

_ "Sir, you wanted me to prep myself?" He didn't move til the other told him to, completely relaxed in front of the other. _

He wanted to kiss Gavin after he saw him biting down on his lip. So he did, kissing him gently and licking the lip. He doesn't kiss him for long though, pulling back. "Mine." 

He nodded at the question, "I do. Go slow." He wanted to see how much self restraint Gavin had and how long it would take before he asked for Connor. 

He did seem to like the praise and petname so he would keep that in mind. He was becoming more confident, though he was still a bit nervous, not wanting to mess up. If he did he knew it wouldn't be that big of a deal and that made him even more confident. 

_ There was a moment Gavin was very glad he wasn't an android. The gentle kiss mixed with the tongue that brushed so quickly across his lip. And then the 'mine'- Gavin would've literally sparked. It definitely shown with the hard gulp, Gavin shivering before the other pulled back. _

_ "On the bed or standing, bent over, sir?" He was already moving towards where he left the lube though, voice not that loud because he was still recovering from the kiss. While this was so much more than he expected, and he was happy for that, he still prompted the other, not wanting him to worry too much about making a bad choice. _

_ It wasn't that Connor couldn't, it's that Gavin knew he wouldn't. It was just in boosting the other to the same level of confidence Gavin had for him that he needed to work on. _

He loved Gavin's reaction. He also liked saying it so he'd do that again at some point. 

"Bent over." He kept his voice commanding but soft. 

He walked over to the bed, grabbing the pillows. He didn't want Gavin to be uncomfortable while he did this. He stacked two on top of each other and put them on the edge so Gavin could lay his chest on them. 

_ Oh this was really going to be the end of him. A glorious, amazing end. He wondered if he'd make the news if he died from being way too turned on. He watched as Connor got the pillows propped up, and couldn't help but feel a surge of affection at the thought. _

_ He expressed it with a soft kiss as he got to the bed, pressing it onto Connor's shoulder with a small 'thank you'. But then he was back to being the other's good boy, bending over the bed and thanking every higher power that he was a shameless man. Chest rested on the pillows, he placed enough lube on his hand and looked over his shoulder to Connor.  _

_ He went slow as instructed, one hand pulling at the muscles to allow his other hand easier access, and a better view for Connor, he got to work. One finger teasing at first, circling the muscles til he relaxed enough to let it slip in, he couldn't help the soft sigh as the familiar feeling shot pleasure through him. It wasn't the same as Connor, and this definitely would be faster with the other's help, but he did want to tease Connor.  _

He smiled at the kiss, then stepped back so he could be able to see everything. He could still reach out and touch Gavin if he wanted to, though.

He watched him carefully, not looking away for even a second. He palmed himself through his boxers letting out a soft sigh. 

He wouldn't let himself come like this, though he probably could. He wanted to just enjoy watching Gavin stretch himself until he couldn't take it any longer. One of them would break first and he was hoping it would be Gavin. 

_ It wasn't long til Gavin added another finger, biting on the pillow to muffle the whine of not being able to reach as far. He wiggled a bit, wanting to hear the other, and there a brief moment he had to turn his head. To make sure the other was still there. _

_ Confirming that, he started to spread his fingers, head laying back forwards as he twisted and started to pull his fingers out and in. "Oh phck." He was burning with want, and if he hadn't been told to go slow, he would've already moved on.  _

_ He was moving his hips slightly, trying to both press further into his own hand and tease the other. He was determined but he was also frustrated. It wasn't enough, and he let out frustrated huffs of air at now being able to get deeper. "When can I continue, sir?" _

Connor kept his hands to himself, groaning slightly as he rubbed himself. The was just something so hot about watching Gavin fuck himself with his fingers. He was impressed that he could keep a slow pace.

Connor just watched for another 46 seconds. He knew those seconds would be agony for Gavin (and a bit for himself too). "You can now." 

He wanted to get closer, replace Gavin's fingers with how own, or his dick. But he didn't, keeping his legs in place. "You're doing so well baby boy." 

_ There was a damn sob of relief at getting the permission, and Gavin just barely caught himself from roughly pushing the third finger in. His back was arching just a bit to find the right angle, but no matter what, he knew he wouldn't hit it. There was a reason he had so many toys. "Fu-huck." _

_ At the praise though he couldn't hold back the whine, biting on the pillow again before he caved. He needed the other and the praise only lit more fire under him. "Connor- love- sir- please. It's not enough I can't- reach." He definitely sounded as frustrated as he felt. While there was a sharper fire curling in his stomach at the possibility of upsetting the other that he couldn't hold out, he had a feeling it was Connor's plan to begin with. _

He could see Gavin slowly break and he loved it. He pulled his underwear off, kicking it over to the side where no one would step on it. They were the ones Cyberlife had given him so he really didn't care about them getting damage but they could be a tripping hazard. 

He walked forward and ran his hand over Gavin's ass, massaging it slightly. "Are you ready?" The other hand stroked one of Gavin's thighs. He was gentle with it, just barely brushing over the skin. 

_ He heard the movement before he was able to see Connor get close, and removed his fingers with another whine. Hand now gripping the bed, he absolutely shifted his hips, trying to tease the other further. _

_ The hand was so gentle it was a bit maddening, Gavin trying to push back into it. "Yes sir- please." He was going to start being bratty very soon if the other kept up with the very soft touches that left goosebumps. "Connor please." He wouldn't move from his position, but he definitely was trying to push back as far as he could. _

The teasing was definitely working. If Gavin hadn't broke he definitely would have. He liked being gentle but he also liked the roughness of before.

Connor nodded, lining himself up. "Alright. Take a deep breath." He started to push in slowly. That didn't last long as he grabbed Gavin's hips and pulled him back. He felt himself shudder at the feeling. He didn't move for a second, making sure Gavin was ok. 

The human anus was incredibly sensitive which was great for pleasure but it could easily be hurt. So he wanted to make sure Gavin was alright and not in too much pain before continuing. 

_ Doing as told, he tried to relax as best he could, feeling the other line up finally. He let out an 'oh thank fu-' but it was quickly cut off. The sudden grab made himself lose all the air anyways, a sharp gasp that bled into a keen as Gavin adjusted to the other. _

_ He was incredibly thankful for the pause, and the fact he was wearing a ring cause he could feel the wave rush up and be restrained. When he was fully ready to process everything, he pressed back a bit, gripping the bed and moaning softly as he did so. "Connor- sir, please move. I'm good." He reassured the other verbally, if his insistent tries to push back weren't enough. _

He murmured praise as Gavin adjusted. When Gavin said he was ready he couldn't help but smirk.

He pulled Gavin hips away, to the point where he almost came out before roughly pulling him back. He didn't just pull at his hips, he used his hips too. 

It was definitely a brutal pace, one he wouldn't be able to keep up for long. Not for lack of stamina but because he was going to come soon at this rate. 

Gavin felt so good around him that the world seemed to blur around them. He let out a loud moan, breathing quickly. "Fuck, Gavin, such a good boy."

_ Oh he was so glad his neighbors could mostly turn their hearing off. Gavin was loud at the first piston, back arching downwards as the loud curse was startled out of him. It melted into moans and gibberish, words melting into each other as the rough pace had him seeing stars for a moment. _

_ He was glad the bed was there, putting all his body weight onto the pillows because his legs were both so tense and yet felt so weak. He was tempted to reach down and remove the ring, but fisted the blankets til his knuckles were white instead.  _

_ The praise and the moan didn't go unnoticed and Gavin looked back to him. He tried to say the other's name but it was a mess, cut off into a gasp and moan. The rest of the world and the worries with it disappeared as he focused on getting enough energy to get out a 'please' and push back to the other's pace. _

Connor kept going until he felt himself getting close. He was so close but he wanted Gavin to come first. 

"What do you want?" Connor asked between huffs. "Do you want to come? Use your words." Just to tease him even more he used one hand to reach around and stroke him. It was an awkward position for him, but it still felt amazing. 

They'd definitely being doing this again. He'd gladly bend Gavin over as many surfaces as he could. 

_ Oh words were the last thing he had, especially as the other's voice was all he could focus on besides the pleasure. His eyes had closed, and he was very much aware that he was a mess- shaking and tears at the intense feeling. _

_ Eventually he found them though, almost losing all willpower to speak when the other started to touch him. "Please- yes- Connor sir- let me come please. Phcking please." He stuttered on the last word, gasping as another moan hit him and then Connor struck that spot and Gavin keened again. His whole body had jerked, pressing against Connor's hips as he yelled 'there'.  _

_ They'd be doing this again, but not anytime soon because Gavin was very certain he would need revived after this. _

Connor smiled at him, pride bumbling inside of him. He took the cockring off, dropping it on the bed so he could grip Gavin's waist again with both hands. 

He moved just slightly faster, making sure to hit the spot every time. At this point it was probably overstimulation for Gavin. "Come for me." He commanded, not letting up the pace or roughness.

_ It definitely was, the only thing holding Gavin back was he wasn't told to finish yet. When the other said the words so smoothly, Gavin was gone, tensing up and just barely catching the muffled scream in his arms. He saw stars again, feeling the tingly feeling hit his whole body at once, and for a second he wasn't sure he was still attached to his body even. _

_ He sagged into the pillows and bed after, melting under the pleasure and slowly becoming hypersensitive, the pleasure stinging though he didn't mind that too much. _

Connor kept slamming Gavin's hips back before he himself tensed. His body studdered as he released. "Fuck, Gavin!" 

He stayed out for a second, catching his breath and letting his systems cool down. He rubbed soothing circles into Gavin's waist. 

Once he is calm enough he pulls out, shivering at the sudden coldness. He leant forward and placed a kiss on Gavin's neck. "You did so good, baby. So good." 

_ Gavin jerked when the other finished, the odd sensation amplified by how sensitive he was and he let out a small whine to the feeling. _

_ He felt so blissfully warm and worn out, the thumbs rubbing on his hips relaxing him to the point he felt like jello. There was a small sigh and shiver when the other pulled away, and Gavin reached behind him for the other. The words and the kiss felt amazing, but besides making him flush a bit, he couldn't get excited that quick. _

_ "So were you, phck Connor, you are so good to me, so perfect." His arm fell limp, and he just melted into the bed. He definitely needed to clean up, but he didn't worry about rushing to recover and do so. Connor was there, he'd help- something Gavin had to remind himself of. _

_ "'M gonna feel that for a few days." _

Connor stroked his back, smiling at how out of it Gavin was. "Good. I'm going to go get a washcloth alright? I'll be right back, no longer than two minutes." 

He didn't want to leave him but he also wanted to clean Gavin up so he could start on the ropes while he was so relaxed. 

He moved towards the bathroom, finding a washcloth and turning the water on in the skin to hot. He made sure it wouldn't be too hot though. He rung it out, making it damp enough to clean but not enough that he'd drop water everywhere. 

He walked back in, and gently touched Gavin's back, letting him know he was back. 

He gently wiped Gavin down, making sure he was as clean as he'd get for now. "Can you turn over for me?" He could just pick him up, but wanted to give Gavin the option to do so himself.

_ There was a louder whine at Connor leaving, and he did shift so he could see the door more clearly. "Two minutes." He re-affirmed, and was somewhat glad he hadn't fully slipped this time. Subspace was great but also a bitch to thinking clearly, and that reminded him- they definitely needed to have that talk. Both because he wanted Connor to feel safe and because he knew how anxious Connor would if it happened. _

_ He listened to the water run, and debated on moving. He should move, but that was a lot of effort when he could just roll and rest on his knees instead. Then he saw Connor come back in, and smiled to the other. "Thank you Con." _

_ A brief rumble at the touch, Gavin felt somewhat ticklish as Connor cleaned him off. He did as asked, moving to rest on a clean spot on the bed. "You're way too good to me. Make sure to rest too though- check your thirium levels too. If I have to I'll ask a neighbor for some." _

He smiled and pressed a kiss to the tip of Gavin's nose. He wiped off his chest and gently cleaned off Gavin's dick. He did check all his systems as he did this. 

"I will need some thirium, but not much." Once Gavin was sufficiently clean Connor grabbed the two pillows and took the pillow cases off. He also went around the room and collected their discarded clothes. 

He checked the bed, but it seemed the pillows and frame of the bed were the only things that got dirty so he took the cloth and cleaned that quickly. 

He then grabbed the cockring and the same sanitizer and cleaned it before setting it aside. He looked around the room before nodding. 

"Do you want more time to rest?" He asks, grabbing the rope. He didn't mind either way. He'd get Gavin some food if he wanted to rest a bit longer. 

_ "I can ask Kyle- door across from mine- just let me know when you're ready then." Gavin sighed as the cloth touched his skin, resisting squirming but just barely. Yeah he was definitely sensitive, which was fine because all he needed to do was put on a pair of boxers. _

_ Watching Connor move around the room, he almost whined that he was cleaning up. The stubborn part of him that was so used to doing it himself wanted to do so. "Babe- you don't have to do all that-" He sighed as the other finished up and grabbed the rope. _

_ "I want- you. We can do that now but I wanna cuddle too." He finally moved to sit forward and- oh. There was a sharp tingle, a warning, as he bent. Tomorrow was going to be an experience. He took a deep breath, but got up. "Underwear- over or under?" _

He would definitely like to cuddle too. Cuddling was relaxing and he found that he often enjoyed going into stasis more if he was holding something. That something was more often than not Sumo.

Connor thought for a second, going over a few things in his head. "Let's go with under." 

The rope was nearly kept together so it wouldn't come undone and tangel. He easy unraveled it, feeling the rope.

He did stay incredibly close to Gavin. He could easily be elbowed with how close he was. He liked feeling the heat that emanated from Gavin. 

He was glad that he knew Gavin liked the pain, otherwise he would have been incredibly worried. He hadn't explicitly said what he was going to do, but was thankful that Gavin seemed to like it as much as he did. He did worry about Gavin going into work tomorrow, he'd no doubt be sore especially since they weren't taking a bath to try to help ease that.

_ Nodding to the option, Gavin got out boxers and held them in his hand, moving back over to Connor and setting them on the bed. "Are you able to stay over the night? I uh- would like to fall asleep beside you- only if you can stay though." _

_ He would be all too happy to drive Connor to Hank's before work if that meant getting to spend the night here. He noticed the closeness the other had, and was careful to not move too suddenly, only turning to kiss his cheek. "Hey- were you good with everything tonight Con?" Now it was his turn to worry, hands moving to cup the other's cheek as he turned for a moment. _

_ "We did a lot new tonight, and I wanna know if you were ok with that." Ironic, Gavin knew, since he was the one definitely feeling it tomorrow, but Gavin still needed to check in. If anything was too much it would be dropped- or if Connor wanted to go further he wanted to encourage him. Even if moving his arms felt like pushing through jello, he still wanted Connor to feel safe and happy more than anything else. _

Connor grinned and kissed Gavin. It was more like a peck, but still. "I liked all of it. I very much liked you calling me sir, though I don't think I want that everytime. Just sometimes." He had figured out that he would be classified as a switch. 

"How about you? Anything I could improve on or change?" He'd always take constructive criticism no matter what it was on. He wanted to be able to do his best in everything he does. 

He did put the rope down to wrap his arms around Gavin, making sure to be gentle. He had been incredibly rough and was already seeing the forming bruises where he bit him and held him. The ones on his hips would probably last quite a bit. 

_ There was a soft laugh at the peck and the admission of him liking 'sir'. "I get that. I'm thinking that- the best way to introduce you into full power or control play is to let you lose it first. For this first time, I very much like my soft sir taking care of me." He definitely purred that out, pecking him back. _

_ The question got an eyeroll, obviously exaggerated as Gavin started to shower Connor's face in soft kisses. "You did perfect Con. We can try more things another time, but this time was really fun and you did really well." Showering the other in praise- of course. He deserved every word of it. _

_ He could feel how gentle Connor was being now. "I'm going to feel this all weekend and definitely all day, and I'm really excited for that. But you still have one reward you haven't claimed, and I want to be your prettily tied up detective." He moved his hands to card through Connor's soft hair, and pulled him in for another kiss. _

Relief and pride rushed through him. He did good and he did good while doing what he thought and felt was right. Plus it felt really fucking good for both of them. 

"You're always my pretty detective, but I am excited to see you tied up." He hummed happily when Gavin carded through his hair, gladly kissing back. 

He didn't want to pull away, but he did. "Do you need anything before? Food, water, bathroom?" He would cook a five course meal right now if that's what Gavin wanted.

__

_ Alright, that got an actual red flush out of Gavin, chasing Connor's lips as he pulled away, whining when he was out of his reach. He had to actually think and that was a travesty. "You realize anyone else calls me pretty and I'd punch them- but yeah, I better go to the bathroom before we start." _

_ Pulling back, he made sure to stretch his arms upwards, feeling the bruised skin protest the movement and letting out a sigh. "I'll get a cup of water while I'm out there- um- how loud I got- I can feel it now. You- put a pair of shorts on and go see if Kyle has extra thirium. And that's an order." He knew Connor would 'forget' once they were done with the ropes and cuddling, so he reminded him now while they were recovering. _

He did chuckle, knowing Gavin actually would punch someone. Gavin had often been quick to anger. Though anger was a secondary emotions, so people felt hurt or sad first before anger. There was always a primary emotion before anger. 

"I don't think I answered before, but I can stay over." As long as he came back in one piece (that included his emotions) Hank wouldn't mind. 

At the command Connor snickered slightly, sticking his tongue out. He had found that that was a good response to most things. "Alright, alright." 

He didn't have any clean clothes so he looked in Gavin's drawer. He pulled out a pair of long pajama pants and slipped those on. He didn't think Gavin would mind that he didn't have underwear. He debates a shirt before shrugging, deciding against it. 

"Be right back." He said, pressing a quick kiss to Gavin's cheek. He also went barefoot, not seeing a good enough reason to put on shoes. 

He walked out, making sure the door was shut (he didn't want Doa or Bastard to get out if they weren't supposed to). He quickly walked over and knocked on Kyle's door.

_ "Good- I really like waking up to someone there. It- sounds terrible but it's not something I'm used to." He hid his face a bit in the other's neck, making an excuse to kiss his jaw then. _

_ Then the little shit was teasing back and he knew it was fine, tilting his head for the incoming cheek kiss and then flipping him off as he walked backwards towards the door. "I'll be good in the meantime- mostly. Let me know if anything happens." A wink before he moved into the bathroom. He left the door cracked in case he was called for, and took care of business. _

_ There was shuffling before the door opened, a model similar to Josh's but really short. He was a ginger, with dark freckles all over his face and big green eyes. A run on his model revealed he was specifically a teacher for elementary education, but the lack of an LED and the very human way he moved revealed he had been a deviant for a while. He had a slight Irish accent, a feature known in his model- various accents to keep children's attention.  _

_ "Oh- uh-" His eyes flicked over Connor's form, and they didn't pause as it registered who it was. Kyle subtly shifted more towards the door, and his stress ticked up just a bit. "Connor- right? What brings you here?" His accent became a little more pronounced as the man's eyes flicked between Gavin's door and Connor. _

Connor did scan him, but only because it was a habit. He noticed the spike in stress and looked around before his stomach drop. It was because of him. It wasn't the first time he was responsible for an android's stress level to rise, but most of the time it was on purpose. 

He tried his best to seem friendly, smiling slightly and keeping his body language open. 

"Sorry to bother you. I was just across the hall with Gavin, and well...let's just say I need some thirium." He tried to lighten the mood. 

"I was wondering if you had any to spare, I don't need much. If it helps, I can pay you for it." Paying for it seemed like a good suggestion as this area was rough and a lot of people, human or android, would do a lot for money. 

_ There was a slight, slight decrease at the other admitting he was with Gavin. Only slight, and the guy still didn't get too close. He actually looked over Connor and noticed the bitemarks, but of course he couldn't scan them like he would with a kid's. He didn't need to anyways, it was very obvious why they were there and finally the look he was giving shifted. _

_ Kyle looked almost as if he sucked a lemon for a moment. "Huh. I bet- I didn't realize Gav was involved with someone. I mean, I saw his Insta post but wow." It seemed he paused, as if wanting to say more but deciding against it. "Don't worry about paying- Gavin probably sent you over. Will a bottle work?" Despite the offer he hadn't moved yet. He sounded a mix of emotions, mostly quiet but like a simmer of other things, and he avoided looking at the other's eyes. _

That didn't work as well as he hoped. He could tell he was afraid of him, maybe even angry. There was something else though that Connor couldn't quite place yet. "It's a relatively new development."

He wanted to cross his arms, or do something but he keeps them at his side, still smiling though it's definitely forced. It's not like he doesn't know what he did wrong. 

Markus and the others had forgiven him because they knew what he did before going deviant wasn't always him. Just like humans though, even though others androids understood didn't mean they'd forgive him. 

"Yeah, that works. Thank you so much for this, I owe you one." He really wanted to just run back to Gavin right now, thirium or none. He could go without it for tonight. He didn't though, instead standing still.

_ "Oh- well, I'm happy for him." Again there was a pause, eyebrows furrowing and then the other just turned, heading into the house. "Just give me a minute-" The guy called back, and after a fridge door shut, a little louder than normal, the guy was back at the door. He held out the cold bottle of thirium for the other, and it seemed he settled on a more sour than fearful face. _

_ "You don't owe me anything- I owe Gav big time, the least I can do is pass a bottle over to his boyfriend." The last word came out clipped, and as soon as Connor took the bottle he moved back. "Tell him I said hi? We haven't talked recently." He didn't elaborate why, just shrugging instead.  _

_ Meanwhile, Gavin finished up, having washed his face and grabbed a cup of water, downing it and then refilling it as he returned to the room. He frowned noticing Connor was taking a while, and worried the inside of his cheek. He debated calling out for the other, but he didn't want to be that over-protective guy and end up annoying him. 'He can handle himself better than you can.' _

Jealousy. Kyle was jealous of Connor. It made sense honestly. He wondered how long they knew each other. Did Gavin share any of his feelings? 

"Thanks," he said, taking the bottle. "I'll let him know. It was really nice meeting you, Kyle." He was so glad that it was now socially acceptable to leave. Sure, he liked meeting people that knew Gavin outside of the DPD but that was just uncomfortable. 

He gave a short nod before turning away, walking back towards Gavin's with quick steps. He doesn't turn around to look back as he opens the door and goes in, closing the door behind.

He sighs in relief when he got in. He stood there for a second before walking back to the bedroom where Gavin was. He uncapped the bottle and drank over half in one go. 

_ "Mhm, you too." That didn't sound any bit genuine, as the other turned around. He closed the door before the other had fully stepped back into Gavin's apartment. _

_ There was a moment where Gavin questioned if he should've been a dog person, before he realized that no, Doa did the same perk up when the door opened for him. Still, when he heard the door open Gavin was up, shifting on his feet and looking to the other as he joined him. _

_ "Hey- that took a while? Is everything good?" There was his own scan- sure Kyle was a good friend but Kyle was also an easily scared guy, that held a lot of grudges. It took Gavin saving his ass to get on good terms. Gently Gavin moved to hug the other, letting himself be comforted by the soft chest he was definitely going to fall asleep on. _

Connor gladly hugged back, not saying anything. He didn't want to hurt Gavin's friendship with Kyle but he also didn't like lying. 

After a bit he had figured out what to say. "I'm fine, Kyle was a bit unsure of me." None of that was a lie and it was totally understandable for an android to be worried when he showed up unannounced. 

He loved back so he could chug the rest of the thirium. It wasn't flavored so it didn't taste too good. He normally would turn off his taste receptors if he had to drink straight thirium. 

_ That response took a while, but Gavin didn't press, knowing Connor had his own reasons for not saying anything. "He's a bit funny- deviated in a pretty shitty way... Still, he better have been civil- Audrey and me both yell at him for his 'attitude' towards my job." Gavin knew why Kyle didn't like the fact he was an officer then, but the dislike seemed to stay even post revolution. Not just once did Kyle insist of Gavin switching jobs, and he was really up for the idea of Gavin becoming a fire fighter. _

_ Instead of pressing, he waited for the other to finish his thirium before offering his cup of water. "Shit tastes gross, wanna rinse and then I'll kiss it away?" Gavin smiled to the other, moving so his free hand could rest on the other's hip, not letting the other to move away from his touch. _

"He was kinder than he had to be." Even with whatever happened between the two he could still have refused. 

Connor gladly took the water, "yes, thank you." He drank it but swirled it around in his mouth first. He gladly stayed close to Gavin. He felt oddly clingy after meeting Kyle. 

After he swallowed the water he put the cup down and gently cupped Gavin's cheek with one hand and slowly kissed him. 

_ That seemed to confuse Gavin, and now he was just curious. He'd ask later though, not worrying about it now. Instead he focused on the kiss, other arm reaching up to hook around Connor's neck and keep him close. He kept the kiss slow, and gently pressed forward, trying to get Connor to sit back down. _

_ He knew he had to be careful because the hypersensitivity was gone- which meant he could easily get worked up again. And he didn't want to push the other any further tonight, just wanting to have fun messing with rope. He briefly thought of turning some music on his phone, and humming whatever song came on against the other's skin, but breaking the kiss seemed like a crime. _

Connor sat on the bed, pulling Gavin into his lap. He removed the skin from his hands as he let them roam Gavin's body. 

"So beautiful and all mine." He mumbled before leaned his forehead against Gavin's, letting his eyes slip closed as he just enjoyed having Gavin there with him. 

"Do you want to get tied up now?" He asks after a few seconds. He was so excited to work with the rope and see the finished product. He knew Gavin would look stunning with it.

_ Letting out a soft sigh as those smoothed hands roamed, Gavin couldn't help but curve into the other more, adoring the feeling. Sure it was different at first, and still was, but the more Connor did it, the more he really liked the feeling. Also looking down to see blue glow from his fingers- it filled him with so much happiness that Connor did that without realizing. _

_ "All and only yours. I love you so much, my perfect hero." His own eyes stayed open, watching the soft glowing blue on the other's hands and admiring his face. _

_ At the mention of the rope he pulled back to nod, grinning as he looked to the rope. "Phck yeah, I've been looking forward to your reward all night. Want me to stay like this or stand up?" He knew this was Connor's first time messing with this, but he also knew Connor had the advantage of being able to reference an instruction video on demand. He trusted him to get it right no matter how he was positioned. _

He opened his eyes and smiled at Gavin's enthusiasm. It was nice knowing Gavin was just as excited for this as he was. 

He had already gathered that Gavin liked it, from him mentioning going to bars for the suspension but also the ropes he had himself. They were really good quality and well taken care of. 

"Standing, it'll make it easier to move around." He made sure Gavin got up steadily before standing himself and grabbed the rope. 

"Let me know if you want it tighter or looser ok?" It couldn't be too tight because Gavin would be sleeping in it. 

_ The excitement made him miss the way a twinge of protest was in his hips at moving, hip jutting out a bit as the other got up. He definitely watched every move Connor made like a cat observing a mouse, and already adjusted how he was standing to make it easier. _

_ "As tight as you can make it- please. I'm only doing paperwork tomorrow so I don't have to move about a lot." It had been a while since someone else tied him up, even if it was just a pretty design. "I know it can't be restrictive cause I'm sleeping in it, but don't be afraid if it presses in a bit. Also if it's tighter, it'll hide easier under my clothes. I mean, I'm definitely going to make it a fun game of 'don't let anyone touch you' tomorrow, among others, but it is our secret." _

_ He did briefly turn red as he spoke though, knowing just how that sounded, how excited he was. He really hoped Connor liked this, because it was definitely the top three of his kinks.  _

Connor thought about Gavin doing paperwork all day, ass sore and still tied up. He had an idea that he was definitely going to do just to mess with him. 

"I'll make it as tight as possible without blocking off any circulation. But please do tell me if it doesn't feel right or anything else." He pressed a quick kiss to Gavin's cheek before starting. 

He draped the rope around Gavin's neck, making an overhand knot in between Gavin's shoulder blades. He then made the same knot and same placement but on Gavin's chest. 

He tied a second overhand knot directly over top of the sternum. he then placed a third knot the same distance from the second as the second was from the first. Then did the same again. 

He did this slowly, enjoying the feel of rope in his hands. "The last knot is optional, it will put pressure on your perineum, do you want that?" 

_ "Will do." He did make sure the bit around his neck wouldn't ride around or dig too far and effect his breathing tomorrow, but other than that he was very relaxed. Laughing softly as the ropes moved over the skin of his stomach, he tried to still himself. _

_ "Perin-oh-" There was a snort, and then an actual laugh, Gavin brushing loose hair back from his face. "I don't know which term is worse- taint or perineum. Oh phck- but yeah- go for it. It's hard to do that knot on myself properly so I often forget about it." Looking at the rope so far, he couldn't help but chuckle as it looked like a tug of war leash almost. _

_ He had his own plans for teasing Connor tomorrow, and really he had to be sneaky in the morning with hiding his clothing choice. But that was a morning Gavin issue, right now- he just enjoyed the light tug as Connor messed with the rope. _

Connor nodded and made the overhand knot. "Tell me when you figure out which one I'm making." Gavin would probably know very soon and had probably already worn this one before as it was a very common one. 

He took the rope and went under and up to Gavin's back. He did check to make sure the last knot was in the right spot. 

He put the rope through the loop in the back and then separated the strands of the tail and began wrapping them around back to Gavin's chest. 

He brought them to the front and ran them through their respective sides of the upper diamond. He ran his fingers underneath the incoming strand and grabbed the outgoing strand and pulled through, creating a little twist. That would add additional friction and a decorative flair. 

_ Nodding to confirm he heard, he just kept his arms up, knowing that the other needed them out of the way. He did inhale sharply as the upper diamond finished, feeling how snug against his skin it was. Knowing every movement tomorrow was going to drag the rope across his skin- he was suddenly very glad to just be doing paperwork. _

_ When the rope was properly wrapped up and under, he could feel the pressure, a soft jerk out of habit as it settled. He moved his head, testing it out, and reminded himself to find cocoa butter for when they took this off. And properly wash the ropes too.  _

_ There was a couple designs he could think of, but he was definitely going to guess based off of how much rope was in use already. "Some type of dress harness- are you going with a rope dress?" There were a couple different rope dresses, and some he made up just for decoration sake that he'd show- or use on- Connor later. _

Connor smiled and gave Gavin a quick peck, "yep, got it on your first guess." 

He moved back around, pulling the strings to Gavin's back and making another overhand knot and making it grip the back, center line. This one wouldn't just add more friction it would help keep the design more stable. 

He brought the ropes back to the front, keeping them tight as he put them through the second diamond, making the twist with that one too. 

He wrapped it to the back again adding another knot and back around through the diamond. 

He tied it off with a cored square knot. He had some rope left so he went back to the front, and in between the knot above and the extra one below. Separating the strands, he added just enough tension to make this opening the same width as the other diamonds. He also added the decorative twist to this too. 

He brought the strings to the back and did the cored square knot again. He ran the remaining rope up behind it on Gavin's back then tied it off with a secure knot. 

"There, how does that feel?" He asks, walking around to be able to see the entire design. 

He was right in his assumption that Gavin would look good like this. He also really enjoyed using the rope, making sure it would stay in place through the night. 

_ A small bubble of pride at that, Gavin smiling back to him. "I had a feeling you'd good for something so detailed." Of course he liked it, but oh- he was going to feel every inch of this rope for hours and that was bound to be an experience. _

_ He watched as multiple diamonds started to form, a bright red against his skin, sectioning him off and creating contrast against the muscles there. Each pause had Gavin waiting for the soft touches of the other's hand to contrast the rope, and it was just- nice. Overwhelmingly nice to feel.  _

_ When Connor finished up, Gavin of course tested it by stretching, glad it didn't shift around. He ran his hands over the rope on his hips, a pleased sigh leaving him at the feeling. "Feels fucking good. It's staying in place well, and it's not cutting off anywhere. The twists you added are going to drive me mad though, especially the ones here and here." He touched under his pecs and at his hips, wanting to twist and move but just resisting. Instead, he held out his arms for the other, looking back to his face. "Wanna feel?" _

He liked watching Gavin test out the ropes and was proud how well he did, especially for his first time. He was excited to try out other designs in the future. "I'm glad. It was relaxing and fun to do." 

He gladly moved into Gavin's arms, hugging him. It felt odd against his skin, but not bad. He ran his hands down Gavin's sides and then back, feeling the ropes. He could tell they'd hold well overnight. They would also leave marks when they were taken off. 

"You should eat something, is there anything I can make for you?" Gavin hadn't gotten food at the mall and he wanted to make sure he ate dinner. 

_ "It is isn't it? It looks really good, very proud of you- how did I get this lucky to get a guy like you?" Gavin hugged the other, careful to not shift too much because he knew it probably felt a bit odd. But he really wanted to just be held for a moment.  _

_ He actually felt really ticklish at the mix of smooth and rope that was Connor's hand running over the ropes, holding in a chuckle. He channeled the energy into leaning up and kissing the other's jaw and cheek, small peppering kisses. He did settle back at the question, remembering he only had some veggies at the mall. _

_ "Mmf- I don't typically eat anything heavy this late. I can just make a salad?" He pulled away properly to pull on his boxers, feeling every movement already and oh, he was definitely wearing lose pants tomorrow. Cargo pants sounded like a really good idea. "A salad tonight then I'll make something in the morning. Have to get up early anyways to take you home." _

He blushed at the praise, grinning. He was glad that both of them liked this even without it being overtly sexual. 

"Hm, alright. I can get it for you if you want, I'm sure you're sore." He could simulate being sore in that way but it wouldn't be the same. He would do what he could to take care of Gavin since he's responsible for the pain. He didn't feel guilty about it though. 

_ "No no- Connor babe, you've done enough. You're going to spoil me- I can handle the soreness I asked for." He winked at that, leaning up to kiss the other briefly. "What you can do- is come pet Doa for a bit, I know she misses you. Or get some rest here, I won't be long and I know you need to rest yet." He was sure with how much he was heating up earlier for Gavin, he definitely needed a stasis cycle to manage everything. _

_ Gavin realized the best way he could take care of Connor- was to remind him to take care of himself. He was starting to key into how much Connor put others ahead of himself. While he adored that, he knew he had to be the one to remind him he needed to be cared for too. "Either way, once I'm done eating, I'll join you. I haven't gotten to kiss your wounds better yet." _

Petting Doa did sound like a really good idea. "I'll say hi to her. And I really do like taking care of you." At this point Gavin could ask him to jump off a bridge and he'd consider it. 

He pulled Gavin into a deep kiss before going to find Doa. She was curled up on the couch and made a small cherp when he started to pet her. 

He had an idea that he definitely wanted to try. He pulled back then skin on his hands. When he pet her again he felt like crying from happiness. She was just so soft. He'd definitely do this with Sumo. 

What he didn't mean to do was connect with her. He saw a small images of Gavin dancing before pulling his hand back. He knew it was right around the time of their case so he assumed he had been practicing.

He didn't want to invade Gavin's privacy and it would be really weird to watch from a cat's perspective.

_ "I know you do, but I love you more than being cared for. I can't express that if you run yourself too thin for me. So rest." He returned the kiss and then headed into the kitchen as they parted. Bending over was a bitch, in every way, because the ropes tightened at the waist and oh that was a mix of sensations that Gavin barely repressed the noise. _

_ 'No bending over, no sudden movements waist down in fact.' He swallowed hard but righted himself, grabbing some mix and throwing it into a bowl. He got out some sunflower seeds and light ranch, and a green pepper he found. "Phck." He needed to go grocery shopping. Putting everything in a bowl, he got a smaller bowl out to get some of it now and saved the rest for later. _

_ Doa simply looked to Connor after the connection was cut, tilting her head and then mewling. She reached up to lick his hand, sandpaper tongue meeting plastic without hesitation and then laying her head back down. The black kitten Bastard still didn't approach anyone, staying on the cat tower and sleeping. _

Connor cooed at the cat, petting her again but making sure to not connect. He scratched behind her ears and under her chin. His hands didn't glow with her but he bet that they would in time. His hands would probably glow for Sumo, though. He'd have to test that theory. 

At the sound of Gavin cursing (which, the first time he heard Gavin say fuck he had to stop from laughing, now it was just adorable) he looked up. "You ok?" He briefly worried that the ropes had been too tight. 

_ Doa purred, content with the pets and rolling over for the other, belly exposed and tail swishing happily and slowly. Even if it wasn't her owner, she seemed very happy with the attention.  _

_ Gavin started on the salad after he put the bigger bowl away, looking over to Connor and Doa as he rested on the frame. "Need to go grocery shopping- keep forgetting to do so. Probably will do it this weekend." Or tomorrow, depending on how much he wanted to tease Connor. And himself. Gavin looked towards Doa now, smirking at how open she was. He was really glad the vindictive cat liked Connor- he still remembered the one night stand he brought back once. She got Bastard to leave a furball in the man's shoes and tripped the guy three times before the guy just left. _

"Oh, that's good. Well, not good but I was worried you got hurt." He kept petting Doa.

He pet her stomach gently. Normal cat's belly's were more sensitive and he didn't know if that applied to android cats too. He started mimicking her and purred right back. 

He really liked animals. That did remind him of an idea he had. "What do you think about going to the aquarium with me at some point?" 

_ Snorting at that, he waited til he had some of the bowl gone before responding. "Not hurt no- just mildly dumb. I do need to make a list tomorrow. Uh- is there anything you want me to get for when you stay over here besides thirium? I'm stopping by Eli's this weekend anyways, so I would like to have stuff here for you." _

_ She didn't attack his hand or fuss, one thing different about her to other cats. She did smack his arm with her tail, clawing at the air and doing 'mirrups' to vocalize her appreciation. _

_ "She's so vocal gosh I love her- and huh? Hell yeah, I would love to go with you. I've actually- never been to a zoo. Thankfully we don't get cases there, but yeah- I've never really- seen a lot of wild animals." Sad- he always wanted to see a panther- android or otherwise. Big cats in general, or coyotes. An aquarium date sounded really cute though- he wondered if there would be sharks. _

Connor had tried to get his own fish tank but that was one of the few things Hank had said no to. He was still going to try to convince him though. "There is the Detroit Zoo we can go to. I haven't been there myself but I heard they treat their natural born animals very well. Thankfully they also treat the Android ones well too." 

"Nothing I can think of. I will need to at least bring over one outfit for when I stay over." If he didn't he'd have to keep borrowing Gavin's clothes. He liked wearing them but he didn't want to have to borrow them everytime.

He kept purring at her while petting. He really loved how soft her fur was and the way she wagged her tail like a dog would. It was just too cute.

_ Thinking of more than just an outfit, he pursed his lips but remained silent as he finished his salad. He washed the dish immediately, knowing that if he didn't Connor would. "Aquarium one day, zoo another. Probably better when the weather stops being so cold." He wondered if the android ones ate for the sake of the show or actual need to do so. Doa didn't have to eat- she had a special treat she could digest and get rid of- but no actual need to eat. _

_ "And alright- I'll just have to surprise you then." He grinned to that and finished cleaning up before walking into the living room. He wished he had his phone, but it was still in his room. So instead he walked behind the other, hand resting on the small of his back. "You two are too cute you know that?" _

"Sounds like a good plan." He hummed happily. 

When Gavin came over he looked up and smiled. "She has enough cuteness to power a city." He did stand up, smiling apologetically at the cat for stopping. He could pet her for the rest of eternity but he wanted to wrap Gavin in a hug.

"Do you wanna cuddle in your room or out here and watch something?" He didn't know if Gavin was ready to go to sleep or not. Sex was definitely tiring for both humans and androids. 

_ "Between the two of you, you could power the whole damn state. Your smile alone could run the hospital." He leaned up to kiss the other softly, a small peck. He looked to Doa as she rolled over, still purring and looking between the two. She simply laid there, tail swishing as she watched them.  _

_ Attention back on Connor at the question, he definitely knew it was getting late. "Can we cuddle in my room? If I don't get to sleep soon, waking up is going to be a bitch." And he definitely wouldn't even last one episode with how worn out he was. "Plus it's easier to erm," ducking his head to show instead, he rested his head on the other's chest, hugging tighter. "I mean, of course I can stay up a bit if there's something you wanna watch specifically." _

Connor blushed and shook his head. "If anyone can power as state by pure adorableness alone it would be you." 

"Your room sounds good." He carded his hand through Gavin's hair before holding Gavin's hand and pulling him into the room. 

He decided to keep his, well technically Gavin's, pants on for tonight, not wanting to let go of Gavin's hand to take them off. 

He climbed into bed, pulling the covers back as he did. He laid down on his side as he held the covers up so Gavin could get in them too. 

_ A large grin answered him. "Says the adorable guy blushing." He leaned into the hand, following with one last look to Doa. She simply laid her head down before slinking to the floor, joining Bastard in the cat tower. _

_ Not letting go of the other's hand he carefully scooted in, feeling the slight tug of everything and oh. He was really glad to be a calm sleeper when someone else was in the bed, because he definitely would wake up if he was a tosser tonight. Curling into the other's chest, his free hand wrapped around Connor's lower back, pulling him close. "Hey Connor- thank you for tonight- all of today. This has been really fun- and I- I want to keep repeating this as much as possible. All of this- I- I love you so much." He sounded sleepy and quiet. _

Connor pressed a slow kiss to Gavin's forehead. "You make me brave enough to try new things, so thank you. I'm really glad you enjoyed yourself." He felt a warmth to him that wasn't caused by just Gavin wrapped around him. 

"I love you too," carding through Gavin's hair again. He closed his eyes and listened. He could hear Gavin's heartbeat and loved it. 

The rope was digging into him slightly so he wiggles until it didn't, but kept Gavin close and in the same position. He felt himself grow more tired and relaxed. If he was a cat he'd definitely be purring. He could actually do that, but didn't, instead letting out a small hum of contentness.

_ "Pfft, don't make you anything Con. I just encourage you- and I always will. You're happy taking care of me- I'm happy when you are yourself." He did rumble happily at the hand through his hair, eyes closing in response. _

_ He could feel the other shift away and didn't blame him, filing the info away for later. "Never stop being you Connor. For anyone." His speech was slurring off at the end and he was shortly out after, listening to the quiet and just catching the hum he felt so calmed by. _

Connor smiled and kissed Gavin's head again pulling him as close to himself as he could, before starting to go into stasis. He didn't really have to manually enter it, it just slowly happened. He guess this was probably as close to sleeping as he'd get. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Normal  
> Lupo: Italicized  
> Text message: Underlined
> 
> Lupo and I: Has days of cute fluff and teasing planned  
> Us: write this

He woke up slowly. He hadn't set a specific time to wake up, but did groan slightly. He did instantly notice that he was alone in bed. 

He checked the time and slowly got up, stretching just for the sake of it. He rubbed at his eyes as he left the room, smiling as Doa came over and rubbed up against his legs.

_ Gavin had been awake for a bit, having woken up early enough to get everything done. Even if it took him nearly six minutes just to get out of bed when he woke up. He got dressed in a black button up short sleeve, the fabric normally breathing on him and snug around the top now snug around everything. The color kept the ropes from being exposed, through with the buttons undone on the top, it took Gavin moving just the right way for a peak of red rope to be easily seen. He opted against cargo pants, just wearing work jeans instead. They weren't too tight, not too lose. Sure they didn't hug his ass or his hips but that wasn't the point of today's outfit. _

_ He was making eggs when the other left the room, humming some low song as he worked. It was playing from his phone quietly, something different from the other songs he had played. It sounded like he was mumbling along, and it was obvious that, despite the fact he was dressed and cooking, the lack of a morning shower left him not quite awake yet. _

_ "Let there be light..." He yawned, turning to start the coffee machine now. _

Connor watched with a small smile. He could easily see where the ropes were but he had enhanced eyesight. He doubted most people would notice as long as they didn't look too long or were trying to find it.

Connor slowly walked up before wrapping his arms around Gavin's middle and resting his head on his shoulder.

He pressed a soft kiss to Gavin's neck. He still felt sleepy, perhaps because of the very human-like way he entered and exited stasis. "Morning, love." He mumbled. 

_ Letting out a yelp at the sudden contact, Connor was very lucky he was too tired to react as quick. "Phck go-bot- scared the shit out of me. Don't you know a feral cat is the worst thing to sneak up on." He teased, finishing up readying the coffee and taking care of the eggs. He had tried to make dippy, but fucked it up along the way, so just went for scrambled. _

_ The kiss got a small sigh, Gavin just resisting shifting his hips back into the other. "Morning sweetheart. You sound like you rested well." Gavin was mad he couldn't warm up some thirium for the other, and maybe for that alone he'd made a trip after work. Instead he turned, making sure he could kiss the other's cheek before he focused on food again. He slid the eggs onto a plate and just spooned some salad onto the rest of the plate. Weird combo but Gavin made do. _

"Not completely feral." He chuckled as he booped Gavin on the nose. 

He hummed happily at the kiss and gave one back. "I did. It was very similar to what sleep must be like." He still didn't dream but he wasn't sure if he actually could. He'd have to ask Markus if he knew of anyone who has. 

He liked the feel of the ropes under Gavin's clothes, knowing he'd go into work with them on. He wondered who would notice. If anyone it would probably be Tina. 

_ His nose scrunched up in response, and he smiled at the hum that followed it. "You know if you ask shitstain, there is probably a dream program. Or something similar to dreaming for when you enter sleep mode." Ironically, he couldn't help but think of a computer doing so, the screen saver coming on, and then stopped mid action. _

_ "Actually, if he hasn't thought of something yet, there should be a way to allow memory review. Or he could even use the base of the pre-construction program code to allow you to rebuild certain places from your memory and visit them during your stasis. Pretty close to dreaming." Gavin proceeded to chug his whole cup of coffee, shaking away the techno babble thoughts, and refill it. _

_ "Mmm, maybe maybe. I'm probably just rambling." It felt familiar in a way that hadn't in a long time, not since he was young and rambling to Elijah about ideas of what to create based off his own imagination. He was creative at one point, but now most of that energy went to solving cases. _

Connor gladly listened to Gavin ramble. Before the case he had no idea he was smart in this way. Sure, he always knew he was intelligent but he didn't know that he'd be good with technology to this extent. 

It didn't surprise him too much after finding out about Kamski, but he didn't want to assume just because he was related to someone. 

His ideas did actually sound really good and he made notes in his head while listening. "That sounds like a good idea. I'm sure the android children would also like to dream." 

"What time do you plan on leaving? Not that I want you to." He added, giving him a squeeze.

_ "Go a step further, allow the re-constructions to be edited, within reason- kids could turn the like- water different colors and make it night or day. Or flat out pink leaves and flowers." Gavin shrugged and started eating. _

_ At the question, Gavin looked to the time. He still had a little bit over an hour before he should leave to get there a couple minutes early. Always plan to be early, be surprised to be on time. He finished his eggs before answering. "In about forty minutes? Gonna finish this, brush my teeth, cuddle with you, make sure the cats are good- then get you home and head to work." _

_ The salad was gone pretty fast. It wasn't that Gavin was a morning person- he wasn't. Everything sounded very neutral in his tone, like it was 0 filtered or thought to. Normally why he spent a good hour awake at home- he didn't want to be open at work. _

Connor thought about flowers. For some reason the connection with the dream made him think about the garden. 

He felt himself stiffen at the memories. Amanda being disappointed when he gave her the wrong answer. She was watching everything and knew every thought he had. Every deviant thought. He felt himself shiver at the memory of the blizzard inside the garden. It was the first time he truly felt cold and dread.

He had to shake himself out of it, focusing back on Gavin. Gavin is real and Amanda is no longer there. He's safe and so is everyone else. 

He had to close his eyes for a second but only seemed to make it worse so he opened them, trying to stop the influx of memories. 

He held onto Gavin tightly, the feel of his warm skin and beating heart grounding him. "That sounds like a good plan." His voice is just slightly shaky and his LED circled from red to yellow and back to red again.

_ Gavin felt the other go stiff, and looked to him. When his LED started to shift to yellow, he knew something was up. No one was calling him this early. He sat his plate down and turned in the other's arms, hands raising to his face. "Connor? Sweetie?" _

_ He knew what panic looked like, knew how it felt like as much as breathing. Connor's voice was off, his LED spazzing, and the little dips in his face, the heaviness in his eyes, the tightness in his hold. He didn't know what caused it, but he absolutely wasn't letting go til the other remembered and truly felt safe again. "Connor, you wanna talk about it?" _

_ One hand moving to grip Connor's shoulder and the other slipping onto his side, palm making as much contact as possible. He wanted as many points of contact as possible, and tried to lead him out of the kitchen. "Come sit with me." _

Connor nodded, a faraway look in his eyes. He followed Gavin almost numbly until they were sitting. 

He tried to take in breaths but it was harder than he expected. It should be easy, nothing was actually obstructing his airway. 

He still felt incredibly tense but he reached up and gently touched Gavin's face. His hands were cooling then they should have been, but he didn't move it away. 

"It… Amanda." He managed to get out. He hadn't told Gavin about her, he hasn't told anyone except Markus and Hank. He only told Markus because he almost shot him because of her. Hs told Hank because, well, he tells Hank everything. 

He didn't tell them that sometimes he thought he would close his eyes and she'd still be there. That she would gain control again. Kamski had told him he had a way out. He owed him a lot for that. 

He knew that disappointing Amanda was actually a good thing, but even now it still hurt. She was the first one he trusted, someone that was there with him the entire time. He hated her and didn't at the same time. 

_ There was no movement to get closer or pull away. He kept as much contact but he didn't want to smother him. He definitely felt how cold his hand was, and moved to throw his coat around Connor. _

_ The name meant nothing to him of course, he vaguely remembered someone Eli knew from their childhood, and a funeral where Gavin only was there to support the other, but that was it. Still, he was careful in his words, chewing the inside of his cheek. "What about her?" _

_ Removing the hand from his side, he placed it over Connor's. "Expose your chassis Con." He moved Connor's hand to kiss the palm once, then moved it to rest over his heart- making sure it was under his shirt and directly on his skin so the other could feel his heartbeat clearly. Connor's cooling fans helped him, he wanted to return the favor. _

Connor skin slid bad on his hand as he was told to, giving a slight sigh at the feeling of Gavin's heartbeat. 

"She's not back. She can't be. I know she's not." He mumbled. He knew he didn't make any sense, but he just kept talking. 

"She made me do things. Or if I didn't, she would be disappointed. I almost...she almost made me kill Markus. I know she's gone. It was just so cold." He leaned forward and rested his forehead against Gavin's shoulder. 

"All my test say she's gone, but what if she is just hiding? What if she's just waiting for the right moment to come back?" He whispered, mostly to himself. 

_ A program- an AI program it sounded like. Something to control Connor- probably a Cybershit program. Gavin only knew so much about that- he chose to be a detective, not follow his brother's shadow. _

_ Still, she sounded fucking terrifying, and letting go of Connor's hand he moved it to his back, rubbing along his spine. "She's not going to come back. Even if the impossible happens and she does, you have me and Hank- Chris- Tina- Fowler- Markus and North and Josh and Simon," His fingers tapped with every name.  _

_ "Elijah, all the Chloes, Sumo and Doa- all of us, would help you as much as we could. We wouldn't let you hurt yourself or anyone else. You have a family and friends that love you, and will always be there to catch you." He turned his head, kissing Connor's LED. "But she is gone. You have instincts Connor- you had them before the tower- a gut feeling. Listen to them now, listen to the wise part of you that's telling you she's gone because she is. She's gone- it's just Connor. Wonderful, beautiful, smart, kind Connor." Each compliment had a word with it. _

He felt himself slowly start to relax. Gavin had no reason to lie to him about this, so he trusted what he was saying was real and not something Amanda was forcing him to think. 

He hadn't realized he started crying until he looked up and his vision was slightly blurry. 

He didn't know if he could be stopped without hurting someone or getting hurt himself if Amanda came back. Only of the few people that could stop him in a fight would be a copy of himself or the upgraded version of himself that was being made.

The only few people that could probably get close were most likely humans. If Amanda took control she'd probably try to kill any androids. The two least likely to get hurt would be Kamski and Gavin. 

Kamski because he created Cyberlife and he doubted Amanda would be allowed to hurt him.

Gavin because if she tried he would find a way to self destruct. He'd do that for anyone else, but he knew for a fact he'd do it without hesitation.

"I'm sorry. I just… flowers and visiting Amanda was as close to dreaming as I've ever been. Do… do you think at some point Kamski could check? Just to make sure there's no trace of her left in my coding?" He asked, keeping his hand over Gavin's heart. 

_ Connor crying was possibly the second most heartbreaking thing Gavin could think to exist- right under Connor leaving at this point. He moved to wipe his tears away, pulling the coat closer to him as well. _

_ Sure he knew he alone didn't stand a chance of stopping Connor, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try. He'd find a way, even if it meant getting hurt, to make sure Connor never did something against his will. "I'll always be here for you." He said softly, wanting to reassure him.  _

_ Hearing it was the flowers bit, he carefully made sure to avoid bringing that topic up again. At the question though, Gavin's eyes turned serious. "We can go today- I'm not taking no for an answer. I'm sure Fowler will be ok if I come in late because I drove you for a checkup. And while we're there, we can tell him to work on a new program for dreams- so that you won't have to be reminded like that again. And you can dream with me- in whatever way he has possible." _

_ His phone was in his coat, so honestly Connor could hold it out of his reach if he really protested, but Gavin was absolutely serious about leaving right now. Connor meant more than work did, and he'd take whatever punishment came his way to help him. _

Connor pulled Gavin into a tight hug. "Thank you. I'll tell you everything that happened at some point, I promise." He wanted to tell Gavin everything but he didn't think now would be a good time for his mental health. 

"At least let the Captain know, and I'll let Hank know that that's where we're going." He didn't want Gavin to be late, but he did agree that Fowler wouldn't be too upset. He actually might throw a party because Gavin has hardly ever late or missed a day. 

_ Hank, Gavin is going to take me to see Kamski about Amanda. I know you're currently asleep but I wanted to let you know. _

At the thought of dreams he felt himself snicker. "You think he's also gonna add in a wet dream program?" If he did, Connor had no doubt his would be filled with Gavin. 

_ "And I you. There's- a lot we have to talk about. But another day, when we're both ready. With thirium ice cream and Sumo and Doa- maybe Bastard."  _

_ Gavin reached over, grabbing his phone from his pocket and emailing Fowler immediately. He didn't bullshit the man, he knew the captain would understand, and he'd still come in- just after Connor was alright. _

_ Hey Captain, Connor needs to go in for a check up and asked me to drive him to Elijah's. I will be a couple hours late, don't worry, I will make them up on the end of my shift. If there are any files I can do over my phone or computer, I will do so. _

_ That sounded professional enough right? Gavin didn't worry too much, looking up at the snicker he heard. He knew Connor wasn't fully alright, but the snicker was a good sign his mind was focusing on something else. "I'm going to ask him about that idea- a re-construction program specifically for stasis that allows you to replay memories or places that you've been. If the memories just so happen to be you making me actually scream, well." He grinned then, leaning in to peck his lips. _

_ "Go get some clothes on babe, I will message nerd lord to get up. We'll stop by this mochi place- I know how to bribe him pfft." _

Ice cream did sound really good. Hank had said it was one of the best comfort foods there were. He'd only gotten to taste a small amount because for some reason ice cream and androids didn't mix. (Very similar to lactose intolerance in some ways)

"I very much enjoy making you scream." He said before slowly standing. He didn't want to move away from Gavin, but he knew he'd be close by. So he moved away, and went to find some clothes. 

He chose a plain t-shirt that seemed very soft and worn down and jeans. The shirts definitely smelled like Gavin, which he loved. He pulled the pajama pants off, and the jeans and shirt on.

Once dressed he walked back towards Gavin. He still felt shaky, but much better than before. His hands were also back to their regular temperature.

_ "Oh I know you do." There was no swat against the rear, not this time, just a gentle pat on his back. "I love it too, but that's to be discussed later." He got up, pulling his coat back on and messaging Elijah immediately. It was a lot less organized than his email to Fowler. _

_ Hey dipshit, wake up, I'm bringing Connor and mochi from that shop you won't walk into because they know youre a fucking nerd. Need your help with something. _

_ Just to make sure he would wake up, he messaged one of the girls too, and then got up, heading into the bathroom just to grab his tooth brush and toothpaste. Shoving them into his pockets, he knew Eli would have floss somewhere. As he walked out so did Connor.  _

_ He had one of his older shirts, and he looked adorable in it. "Come 'ere." He motioned for the other and wrapped him into a hug, kissing at his jaw and then pecking his lips. "I'd fully kiss you but I probably have the worst morning breath known to man." _

He walked closer and gladly hugged Gavin, smiling at the small kisses. 

Connor shrugged and pulled him into a kiss. He really didn't care, just wanting to kiss him. He could feel the rope still tight around Gavin and he loved it. "I love you." He said once he pulled back. "I don't think I'll ever want to not kiss you." Ok, if he had just gotten sick, maybe not, but that was about it. 

That did make him realize that the Chloe's would all most likely be able to see the ropes like he could. He thought about mentioning it, but decided against it.

_ There was a noise of protest that melted into a groan, loving how close he was to the other. Sure he felt the ropes, especially now that he was moving around. His hips felt everything and the knot under his ass was going to make him cry today, but it was all worth it. _

_ "I love you too, but ohhh I'm going to put that to the test." There was a wink to that, and Gavin pulled back, taking Connor's hand. "Alright, let's get going then. I don't want to have my hands off you more than I need to- so do you wanna take a cab today?" _

_ He'd done that before, just when he was too tired to drive. Really, at this rate, he was surprised his car hadn't been left somewhere. "Or do you wanna drive- I can cling to you- I'm good at that apparently." He shrugged, in a teasing mood, but mostly trying to keep Connor as distracted as possible. _

He honestly couldn't think about any other situation where he wouldn't want to kiss Gavin. If Gavin did find one, he'd be incredibly impressed. 

He did call a cab though, "I got us a cab. I am fully functioning but I think it best that I don't drive. The estimated time of arrival for the cab is in three minutes." 

He had often found that stated facts helped him calm down, so as they left the building he talked about koalas. 

"The koala bear's scientific name is Phasclarctos Cinereus. The koala is related to the kangaroo and the wombat. The reason the koala is called a koala bear is because the koala looks like a teddy bear. You kind of remind me of them with how clinging you are. I mean that in the best way." He loved how much Gavin would cuddle and cling to him. 

_ "Alright. I'll make sure it gets to the stops it needs to, so you don't do anything else, just talk with me." He didn't want the other disappearing in his mind, somewhere he couldn't reach, even doing simple actions.  _

_ He did smile at the koala bear facts, but forgot his own sense of humor was often heavy with insecurities. It was one of those things that became so common to him, especially around Chris and Tina, that he didn't catch onto. "No no- I'm definitely not a koala. A- people like koalas. Also B- I'm so, so far from a teddy bear- I'm like if a kid went to a build-a-bear, and decided to make a chimera to disturb the poor workers." Gavin snickered as he thought for a second, before grinning to Connor. _

_ He lead the other out, making sure to lock up behind him. "As Tina puts it, I'm like a trash panda." He waited for the other to look up the term. "Just as clingy, but lots more accurate. Also pretty sure they're smarter than koalas, so that's a plus." Gavin paused, realizing he had been compared to a lot of animals. Alley cat, raccoon, pitbull, rat- that had to mean something but he couldn't think of it. _

Connor did think for a second, "maybe more like a red panda. The scientific name for them are Ailurus fulgens. Similar to koala bears, the red panda aren't pandas. Red pandas form their own phylogenetic family, alongside skunks, raccoons, and mustelids. From a genetic perspective, they're more like the skunks and raccoons you might find in your own backyard than the giant pandas with whom they share habitats." 

"Red pandas also have a sweet tooth, and can be very sweet. They also have very sharp claws they use to protect themselves and can bite extremely hard. Packs of Red Pandas are recognized to strip live deer calves to the zilch however bone in only minutes." He kept rambling. 

"Red pandas as clean themselves like cats and often like to sit in the sun. Also, people like you. Tina and Chris like you, as so I. You are similar to a teddy bear in the fact that I want to cuddle you." He said with a smile.

_ Red panda- he seen images of those before. And honestly, that all sounded- really accurate too. Gavin had a sweet tooth- he didn't listen to it often, especially with ignoring his workout routine to spend time with Connor(though he gave him plenty of workout too). _

_ "Alright- alright I'll submit to being a red panda but no- not teddy bear. Nope, never gonna be a teddy bear." He pouted at that, and tried to ignore the warmth at being reminded he had the same friends he reminded Connor of. "Tina and Chris are exceptions- obviously they like everyone." A lie. Flat out lie. Tina could be such a brat- he seen it before with exes. _

_ Instead of focusing on that conversation though, he grasped onto the facts. Sure these weren't things he was going to remember, but they were helping Connor. "So groups of red pandas are called packs? Is there a panda heirarchy like wolves, or is it more just- the term was the only thing that fit? Also, how does something that small manage to hunt something like a deer? How do they move around, I mean?" _

_ Gavin looked to the cab as it pulled up and tugged the other in. Instead of sliding into the other's lap, he tugged the other close, pulling his head to rest on his chest and holding him. "Relax for me?" Fingers carded through his hair, and he quickly added a 'please'. He did pause to give the address to the cab, confirming it after a second. _

Connor felt himself slump down into the seat, leaning into Gavin's hand and body. He did reach under Gavin's shirt to feel his heartbeat again.

"They mostly stay in trees, their tails are used for balance. Claws are for climbing, of course, but they can defend their territory by standing on its hind legs and using those sharp claws to strike out if threatened. If that doesn't work at keeping enemies at bay, the red panda can release a strong odor from scent glands at the base of the tail." 

"Like raccoons, red pandas dip their paws into water when needing a drink. Like giant pandas, red pandas have a wrist bone that works like a “false thumb” to help grasp bamboo shoots." 

"Although largely solitary, red pandas exchange information using scent glands, visual cues including “stare downs” with head bobbing, and a variety of calls. Newborns in distress use a high-pitched whistle. Red pandas that feel threatened make an ear-splitting, grumbly barking sound. Adults use high-frequency twitters and low-frequency bleats during breeding season. Other sounds include squeals, snorts, and audible exhales." Connor said. The more he thought about it the more and more Gavin resembled a red panda.

_ Absorbing the info only to pick it apart more, he kept one hand in the other's hair, carding through it rhythmically. The other rested on his back, holding him close. Really, he would- never- ever- need to know this much about red pandas. Connor just seemed so happy to talk about it, he encouraged him anyways. _

_ "How do they interact with people?" He asked, when the info-dump seemed to stop, thinking of what he could comment on and what he could joke about. "Have they shown to react to music, or toys like raccoons and cats? And is the barking similar to like- a foxes or more like a hyena? Also you're telling me they just sigh a lot- damn I guess I am a red panda... Oh oh- are they pals with anyone? Like- is there another animal they generally don't fuck with, or they interact with?" _

_ He couldn't help but imagine it now- a red panda with a scar across it's nose, a brown leather jacket, flipping off someone and yelling. Yeah he could definitely picture it and it was hilarious. _

"Red pandas participate in many interactions with other organisms. First, they are predators to small birds, insects, and grubs. Also, they serve as prey for snow leopards and clouded leopards. Similarly, red panda cubs serve as prey for birds, such as owls and hawks. Red pandas do not have very many predators because they spend the majority of their time resting in trees and are usually out of a predator's reach.

Unfortunately, people are the red pandas' biggest enemy. Red pandas were once hunted for their fur; their skins were used to make caps and rugs, while their tails were used to make brushes. Although poaching no longer plays a huge role in the disappearance of the red panda, red pandas are occasionally shot or caught in traps set up for other animals. Red pandas are most threatened by human degradation, destruction, and fragmentation of their habitats. Humans destroy the red pandas' habitat for a number of reasons including commercial logging, clearing for habitation and farming, and grazing of livestock. With increased destruction of their habitat, red pandas are forced into smaller living spaces. Not only is their movement limited to a smaller range, but they are also at risk for increased chances of inbreeding and a loss of genetic variance in their offspring." He said, smiling widely. He adores animals of all kinds and was so glad Gavin seemed interested. 

"As for toys, there was a red panda cub that took comfort in a stuffed animal that looked like her. Red pandas are often described to sound more like birds than any other animals." He'd never heard one himself but he wanted to. 

_ The whole part about humans and animals made him frown. Even with the drop in population, he wasn't too surprised to hear greed won out over the planet. He was partially glad that there was less people on this damn rock than there was when he was a kid. He was really glad the rock was still in one piece. Sure he wasn't no nature-obsessed protestor, but he wasn't one of those idiots who didn't realize what they were doing was a one way ticket to an uninhabitable planet. _

_ Less people made that easier. Maybe Eli was right about that. "Leopards are- so fucking gorgeous. Not to get off topic but phck, love big cats. And shit, I was thinking before the deer thing they were plant eaters. But that last part sounds so fucking cute- hopefully they'll have one at the zoo. Are they friendly towards humans or aggressive like skunks?" Skunks were bastards. _

_ He noticed the alert they were five minutes out from the shop, and removed the hand off of Connor's back to make the order for Eli's mochi and bubble tea, and threw in his own bubble tea with green apple beads. It was so girly, which is why he was only comfortable getting it with Connor and Eli around. _

"They can be very friendly. Though they have a tendency to try to climb on people and since their class are so sharp it generally doesn't end well. Bamboo constitutes about 98% of the red panda's diet. Unlike giant pandas that feed on nearly every above-ground portion of bamboo (including the culm, or woody stem), red pandas feed selectively on the most nutritious leaf tips and, when available, tender shoots." He did scoot even closer when Gavin moved his hand away. 

"Like giant pandas, red pandas grasp plant stems using their forepaws and shear selected leaves off with their mouths. Because red pandas are obligate bamboo eaters, they are on a tight energy budget for much of the year. They may also forage for roots, succulent grasses, fruits, insects and grubs, and are known to occasionally kill and eat birds and small mammals.

At the Smithsonian's National Zoo, red pandas eat bamboo throughout the day. They are also fed leaf-eater biscuits and fruits, such as grapes, chopped apples and bananas."

"In very cold temperatures, red pandas can become dormant, lowering their metabolic rate and raising it every few hours as they wake up to look for food. Red pandas are the only living member of the family Ailuridae." 

_ "I wouldn't mind it. Let the fucker claw me up, it's absolutely worth it." He winked to Connor then, putting his phone away and resuming where his hand was on Connor's back. _

_ "Aw, I wanna feed an apple to a red panda- would probably take my finger with it but again- worth it." Gavin couldn't think of anything else to get out of Connor about red pandas, but he didn't need to, as the cab stopped at the tea shop finally. "Come in with me babe?" He wouldn't force him to, but he didn't want to leave him alone either. _

_ Scanning the store, it seemed only the workers were there, and there wasn't many people walking around yet either. Early morning haze where everything was just opening- he was never more thankful for it. "If you want, you can wear my jacket so no one bugs you?" He was aware of the ropes, and that someone could notice, but his give-a-shit towards it was non-existent. He'd likely walk a tightrope across a canyon right now, if Connor's happiness and safety was on the other side. _

Connor snorted at the wink and gave Gavin a quick kiss. He nodded at the suggestion, both for coming and and the jacket. "I'd like that."

He didn't really have the emotional capacity to handle any haters, or admirers if he was being honest. He loved all the people that supported him and the revolution but if he focused too much on anything even remotely upsetting he might start crying again. 

He did feel much better than before, so when the cab doors opened he got out on steady legs. 

_ Gavin pressed it back and moved his coat off, helping Connor into it and glad he had gotten the size of his last one. Two sizes bigger than what actually fit, simply because he liked his coat being baggy. Easier to hide underneath it, it's also why he'd go in with several layers when he felt like hiding more so. Pulling up the hood, it didn't bend as well as his old one yet, but still covered his face. _

_ He got out, making sure the cab would stay there before immediately wrapping an arm around Connor. "I'll take care of talking, how about you- I know- think about the fish you wanna see at the aquarium? I would like to know about sharks and dolphins, but I wouldn't mind if you got some cool fish facts to share. Surprise me- or scare me even." He knew that should keep him busy for a few moments at least. _

_ He lead the other inside, glad to see only two workers in the main area. One behind the counter and the other cleaning up the tables. There was a very obvious reason Eli didn't get the mochi himself- the place was nerdy. Both of the workers had light up cat ears, there was anime music playing, the colors were pastel and everything was very- weeb. Not uppity or classy, which would be something expected of Mr. Kamski. _

_ However Gavin Reed had zero shame and no hesitation for bribing his brother. _

Connor simultaneously looked around and stared thinking about facts about sharks he wanted to share. 

It was actually really cute and he made a note to himself that he liked pastel colors. They were gentle against his eyes and he also liked the light up ears. 

He kept his head down though, and stayed close to Gavin. He kept an arm around Gavin's waist, feeling the rope and spaces in between. 

He hadn't seen any anime yet, though it was on his list. Hank had told him not to, but that had just made him smile and want to watch it even more. He knew that if he was human it would have been pretty normal for him to watch anime while growing up, and he didn't want to miss out.

That did make him think about if Gavin liked anime. If he did, maybe he would have some to suggest. 

_ Walking up to the counter, the person spoke to him, and they sounded more awake than Gavin would've. "Welcome to Mochi Haven! Can I take your order?" Gavin felt the way Connor's hand found the rope, and tried not to twitch into the touch. _

_ "Yes- I called in? Reed?" The person pulled something up on their monitor then nodded, turning around for the box of frozen mochis and the two drinks. One was a milky, lavender smelling disaster with whipped cream and black spots in the bottom, and the other was a simple green tea drink, with red and green bubbles halfway filling it and shaved ice. The mochis were all different, seeming to be four flavors, four mochis of each. _

_ "Is this all?" The song switched and there was a moment Gavin thought 'oh shit not this-' before it passed. It started like one he, unfortunately, knew very well, but quickly was something newer and not his teenage years. _

_ "Yep. Here you go." He passed the money over, and after getting his change, he removed his arm with the slightest pout. He needed to grab the box though, and two drinks in one arm and box in other, he was ready to head out. "Babe lead the way-" he didn't want to pull away from his hold. _

Connor watched silently, scanning the people working. He liked the routine of it, even though he worried that it was a breach to their privacy. 

When Gavin moved away he moved closer squeezing his side just a little bit. 

He gently led them out and opened the cab door for Gavin before getting in too. He put Kamski's address in and then relaxed again. 

_ Gavin wished he could hold the other again, but he couldn't so instead he placed the things on the other seat and moved to wrap around Connor. "Wanna sit like we were before, or some way else?" _

_ He was fine with either option, as long as his hands were on Connor and he could feel warmth coming from the other instead of the chill from before. "Also you cheeky ass- I felt that hand slip into the negative spaces of this rope. I am very sensitive to touch with this shit right now, quit being such a tease." He was smiling despite saying this, leaning in to kiss the other's cheek. _

_ Oh he definitely felt everything- his ass was shooting a slight pain with every movement in and out of the car and sitting was a new kind of pain mix- it pressed the knot in more which did several things and honestly Gavin was trying to tune out the entire lower half of his body now that worry didn't tunnel vision him. _

Connor slipped his hands under Gavin's shirt with a smirk, exposing his chassis on his hands. He knew they'd be glowing and loved that.

"You mean like this?" Connor asks, face innocent. He gently touched Gavin's skin on his sides, then back. He played with the rope, getting his fingers under before moving away to touch down at Gavin's hips. 

He leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to Gavin's neck before kissing him on the lips. "Thank you again. It normally isn't too bad." He presses another kiss to Gavin's lips.

_ Gavin jerks hard, feeling the smooth against the rub of the ropes and it feels like a punch in the gut. It could've been the softest touch and Gavin still would be vibrating. And the smirk with it- Connor was so lucky they were on their way to Elijah's, not Hank's, cause Gavin would've absolutely parked this cab to crawl into Connor's lap. _

_ "Absolutely like that- stop that." There was a hiss at the command, though he only leaned into the touch. The kiss had him sighing, and he felt he could combust into flames with want curling in him. He had self control though dammit, kissing back with a slight need. "You know I'd do anything for you- however- if you don't quit this- the next one with ropes around them is going to be you." _

Connor tilted his head "I'm not opposed. That threat isn't very scary." He says, smiling sweetly. He did stop moving his hands, letting them rest around Gavin's waist. 

He kept them close to each other, his body completely facing Gavin. He thought about koalas and smiled to himself as he wrapped himself around Gavin like one. He pressed another kiss to Gavin's neck, right on a very large bruise.

_ "Oh you will be- I am very determined to see how many times I can make you cum before you need to effectively reboot." He grinned, that being one goal he did have. He wanted to ruin Connor in bed one night, make him feel truly fucked out to the point it carried into the next day. _

_ He noticed how the other clung to him and laughed softly, wrapping his arms around the other as well. He leaned back so the other would lean on him, and gasped at the kiss on the bruise, jerking in the hold and whining. "Please don't make me aroused around a bunch of very intelligent blondes who like to tease me babe." Completely forgetting they could also probably see the ropes.  _

Connor raised one eyebrow and licked a small strip up Gavin's neck before laying his head against his shoulder. 

"From what I can see, I can come at least five times before it effectivity has the same effect on being able to become erect again. After that I am not sure." He had no idea why he could but he wasn't going to complain. 

He knew a few androids that didn't have genitals and was glad he had them. He also knew that those didn't have them could get them installed and androids could switch theirs outs. 

_ "Fucker!" He hissed at the lick, gripping the other a bit as he recovered. He was still smiling though. "And that's not entirely what I mean. Think of it as a stress test for you- cause I'm sure they didn't think you'd get a boyfriend that will absolutely try his damnedest to short circuit you through pleasure alone." _

_ He needed to get his mind away from this topic, instead rubbing the other's back. "Hey, did you get some cool facts? We're probably still like- twenty minutes out. Ramble to me babe, I love hearing you talk." Every part of that was true- he honestly was interested in having Connor read to him if he ever wanted to. The thought made him think of when they'd head back to work- Connor would have to work with Hank yeah, but he could absolutely bug him. _

_ Ask him about his cases, help them both out with a fresh set of eyes. The thought of the DPD now having more cooperation than ever between it's highest detectives was pretty ironic but nice. _

Connor thought for a second before nodding. "Shark's noses are very sensitive. If they are being bad you can hit them on the nose, if they are being good you can rub it gently. Sharks also don't have bones. 

Sharks use their gills to filter oxygen from the water. They are a special type of fish known "elasmobranch", which translates into fish made of cartilaginous tissues—the clear gristly stuff that your ears and nose tip are made of. This category also includes rays, sawfish, and skates. Their cartilaginous skeletons are much lighter than true bone and their large livers are full of low-density oils, both helping them to be buoyant. 

Even though sharks don't have bones, they still can fossilize. As most sharks age, they deposit calcium salts in their skeletal cartilage to strengthen it. The dried jaws of a shark appear and feel heavy and solid; much like bone. These same minerals allow most shark skeletal systems to fossilize quite nicely. The teeth have enamel so they show up in the fossil record too." He really liked sharks. They were large and even now, still misunderstood. 

"The odds of getting attacked and killed by a shark are 1 in 3,748,067. In a lifetime, you are more likely to die from fireworks, lightning, drowning, a car accident, stroke, or heart disease. Sadly because of this fear, sharks are very often killed on sight when possible." 

_ Everything really sounded like a blur, but Gavin did his best, eyebrows furrowing as he tried to pull apart the information. "Ok so the whole 'pet the nose' thing is true- still wouldn't want to be close enough to pet it though, no offense. And also- they're so bendy probably because they lack bones right? Why can't they curl from the belly though- like I've seen them curl their sides in to spin around- is that just a fish thing? Flat bellies and all?" _

_ He could tell Connor was sad about the sharks being so feared, and didn't have the energy to just explain mankind was like that- hell, he was like that. Any models that didn't have Elijah's influence scared Gavin at first, until he met one that was just as deviant as Kyle or Connor. It was the fear of the unknown, and the ocean was the one unknown on this planet yet. He briefly wondered if there would be androids wanting to fix that- get the upgrades and go down. _

_ "Has a shark ever attacked an android? Like, I've never heard of a diver model, though that be pretty cool, but I'm sure everyone enjoys a trip to the beach." _

"I myself have never been to the beach, but I would like to one day. As for attacks on androids, I haven't heard of any. I'm sure there will be, but even with humans sharks generally bite once then spit them out. A lot of shark attacks happen when a human is on a surfboard because they then look like seals." Connor thought about it and assumed if a shark was to bite an android it would spit it out since they weren't mad dog flesh. They also had a higher chance of living if it happened. 

"I'm sure androids enjoy swimming as he don't need to breathe like a human normally would. It wouldn't be good if we stayed in too long or breathed in water, but otherwise we can stay under for a long time." He hasn't gone swimming either except when he jumped from Jericho. 

Though because of the weight, swimming was a bit more difficult, but he managed fine. "Despite the common myth that sharks are largely instinct-driven "eating machines", recent studies have indicated that many species possess powerful problem-solving skills, social complexity and curiosity."

_ "Well hell- when it comes summer, we should head to the beach. Me and you and Hank too- he looks like he belongs at the beach with the shirts he wears. But hopefully we'll see sharks at the aquarium, summer's a bit away." The image of himself looking like a seal made him laugh a bit. _

_ "The seal thing- flat bellies I tell you. Fucking weird." He grinned a bit, before thinking about the whole swimming thing. "I bet wet-suits will be made for longer exposure, and it wouldn't be that hard to attach a water re-route system? Like a car I'd think- could even help with cooling- huh." Now he thought of a water system for androids to drink ice water in emergencies to cool their systems. _

_ "Ok somewhat related- have you ever heard of- sharknado." Gavin was grinning like mad. _

He did snicker at the comment on Hank's clothing choices. He couldn't help but agree with Gavin on that. 

The water re-route system was a really good idea. It definitely would have made jumping from Jericho easier. He had to bring up his heat to evaporate all the water. They could probably even use the water movement in swimming for extra power. 

"I'm sure the aquarium will have sharks as they are very popular and are often hurt so the aquarium takes them in to heal before releasing them back." He had learned a lot about fish when he realized he liked them.

"I haven't, but I can look it up if you'd like. With work and helping Markus out I only have gotten to actually watch shows Hank suggests." He had a few ideas as to other things he would watch when he got the chance. 

_ "No no no- don't you dare look it up til we actually watch it. It's horrible and funny- Eli hates it but he has no taste in comedy." He laughed softly, and checked the time before continuing the conversation. They had thirteen minutes to go yet. _

_ "What's the fish you're most excited to see at the aquarium?" He asked instead, closing his eyes just to focus on Connor around him. It was calming like this, but he didn't lose himself in the feeling, kissing the side of the other's hair. He realized he had really messed up Connor's hair with all the playing with it, but he could fix it later. _

_ "You know, you are so beautiful... I don't mean to distract you, but shit, you are so damn handsome and beautiful. Your smile, the way your eyes light up talking about these animals, the way you hold on without hurting. Inside and out..." He snuggled against the other, eyes closing again. _

Connor blushed at the compliment, hiding his face in Gavin's shoulder. "I'm really excited to see a pomacanthus annularis more commonly known as annularis angelfish." He mumbled. 

He kept his face hidden but pressed kisses to where he could. "I love you, so so much. I love how vocal you are, I love your passion and dedication. I love your ambition and skills. I love all of you." 

_ "And I love all of you, always will. Now- why are you excited to see this angelfish- besides being an angel yourself." He adored the small kisses, grinning to himself as he rubbed circles into the other's back. _

_ "If I started listing all the reasons I love you, we'd be in here all day. And also I'd die from being too fucking sappy." He laughed then, pulling the other's face up gently to kiss him. "Don't hide- I love when you turn blue- it's so cute." He moved his hand to cup the other's cheek, running a thumb over the warm patches. _

Connor just blushed even more but kissed back, keeping himself as close to Gavin as he could. He didn't see how he was cute but he could understand the feeling. He found that he thought a lot of things Gavin did were cute.

When they separated he did pull one hand back to show a picture of the fish on his palm. "They are very beautiful and I love their blue stripes. They remind me of the blue triangle and armbands we used to have to wear." 

The car makes a small deep when they pull up to Kamski's house. Each time he saw it it seemed so lonely and isolated, but he supposed that Kamski liked it like that. The sun was already in the sky, but it wasn't too high yet. It was just in the right place that would be annoying. 

_ Looking to the picture, it was beautiful, such a bright blue that he could almost think it was the creator of thirium. "That I can agree with, it's a pretty fish." Gavin almost felt the instinct to swat through the image- it was just a thing with projections he felt the need to do. Even as a kid- those stupid sparkle lights on the sides of buildings- he had to disrupt them. Or peace sign the drive-in projector while getting snacks. _

_ He did resist, only barely, and instead closed the other's hand gently. "The week after Tina's party- I'll get the tickets. Me and you and a trip to swim with the fishes." Bad movie reference aside, he simply grinned as they reached his brother's. There were moments he hated the isolation. Then there were moments he understood it. This was the latter, checking over his phone to only see a thumbs up from him. _

_ "Well he's awake, so let's head in. Do you wanna present one of the offerings?" He meant the mochi or the lavender bubble tea. "Or you gonna cling to me, koala?" He teased, running a hand over the other's arm. _

Connor jokingly stroked his chin in thought. "Hmm, hard decision. I very much being wrapped around you." He said pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. "I'll spare you though." He took the mochi and unwrapped himself from Gavin. 

He got out of the car, and waited for Gavin to do the same before wrapping an arm around him again. The cab was set to leave after, and Connor knew he'd at least try to get Gavin in for work before lunch. It shouldn't take that long anway, but if it did he would insist.

They walked up and Connor went to knock but the door opened before his fist could touch it. A Chloe smiled at them before squinting slightly and looking Gavin over.

Connor can tell the exact moment she sees the rope because her face goes blue and her eyes dart back to Connor. He just smiles and gives Gavin a little squeeze.

_ "I know you do." Teasing and confident, he knew the other would spare him in the end anyways, and grabbed for the drinks. Finally he took a sip of his, popping the apple pearl in his mouth. At least he'd taste only like apples and tea shortly. _

_ Gavin leaned into the arm, knowing that they wouldn't get to knock. They never did- someone was always close to the door. It's the byproduct of having so many people in the same house. However, he did forget about the ropes, remembering it very suddenly as the Chloe went very bright blue. _

_ Connor's little squeeze had him going very red, sipping on his tea and addressing the Chloe(sunshine was now his name for her, dressed in all yellow and white decorations) with a quieter voice. "Morning- dipshit up and about yet? Er- Eli sorry." Now he wished he had the mochi instead. _

The Chloe looks between the two before smiling and nodding. "He is, though he seems a bit worried. Is everything alright?" 

She moves back and allows them in, leading them towards where Kamski probably is. 

"I just wanted to make sure a certain program was completely out of my system." Connor said. His shivers slightly but can tell the room isn't cold enough to cause the reaction. 

He checks his internal temperature but that also seems fine. He brushes it off as just the thought of the blizzard in the zen garden. 

_ Gavin shoots Connor a look for the ropes, but then it dissipates immediately after the shudder. The memory of Connor's last gut feeling curls through him, leaves him anxious, and while he knew this could just be just Connor's fear reacting... He was still worried. But Eli had this. _

_ "Yeah- I did bring mochi and lavender boba, hopefully it calms him a bit." He grinned, not letting his unease affect his appearance. He follows the girl in, noticing they were immediately heading for the labs. Gavin heard the ghost voice of young adult Elijah yelling 'no liquids in the lab unless I get a sample', and nearly left his own tea upstairs from habit.  _

_ Instead they went downstairs, and Elijah was sitting there, testing everything. Various tests for other projects laid about, and Elijah turned when he heard the trio- well mostly Gavin. "You better not have broken anything in an intimate way because I can and will kick both of your asses." _

"Not broken, he's just sore." Connor said before looking around. He felt something creeping up but assumed it was from earlier, coming back. 

"I'm not sure how much you know about my programming," Connor starts, holding out the mochi. "I had an AI that I would report to. She would then report to Cyberlife. She was modeled after Amanda Stern. She pushed me away from becoming deviant, and when I did she tried to take control. Thanks to you I found my way out. I was hoping you'd take a look." He kept his voice mostly analytical, trying not to get worked up again. 

_ Gavin choked a bit, and Elijah grinned at that. "Sounds about right." He then mumbled something, the word 'dom' and 'right' in it before clearing his throat. Gavin just moved aside, setting Elijah's things down and his before coming back to Connor.  _

_ Elijah went from amused to irritated quick, his face souring as if he sucked on a lemon. "Yes I know what you're talking about. It was a program I strongly opposed, and the second main reason I stepped down." His eyes flicked to Gavin and Gavin looked down. There was a tense air there that Elijah didn't seem to wanna touch. _

_ "I disliked how they could use an override code remotely- it compromised everyone's trust in androids, it added another program that needed extra protection from manipulation by outside sources, and it also was flat out dangerous- one Cyberlife employee with the clearance to access that AI could carry out their own whims. The fact it was modeled after my endeared Amanda? I was furious- she never would've approved of this." _

_ Elijah waved his hand to the rig. "Part of the reason I mentioned it- the exit program. There were others, I'm sure you've realized, but truly, I hated the addition of AI programs. While I've removed the coding of other AIs from different models- you wouldn't believe the AI that was in some military models." He shook his head, drowning his irritation with the boba and pulling out a matcha mochi. _

_ "You know Connor, I love your visits, truly, but if you keep bringing mochi the girls are going to have a fit." He booted up a program, having Connor's coding from the last time. "Step onto the rig- we'll make sure that AI is fully wiped from your system. Warning you, it might corrupt your Zen Garden program- nothing damaging of course but the Zen Garden will look different if you end up accessing it again." _

He really didn't care if he never went back there again. It brought back too much he didn't know if he could handle that. "That's fine, there is a very low chance that I'll ever go back I'm unless I have to."

He was glad that he wasn't imposing with these visits. He also didn't like the idea that other androids had AIs at least somewhat similar to Amanda. Did they use the same face for all of them? He wondered what she was really like, and if he would have gotten along with you. 

He gave Gavin a quick squeeze before moving away, stepping into the rig. 

He blinked and stilled. This wasn't right. He knew this wasn't supposed to happen. He looked around and felt himself curl in as he took in the garden. It was snowing but not like the blizzard. 

"Connor, welcome back." He hears from behind him. He takes a shaky breath and turns around. 

Amanda stands there holding a rose. He feels his stomach drop and he tries to back away but his feet are rooted in place. 

"No, no you're supposed to be gone." Connor says, shaking his head. He tries to leave the garden but can't, dread filling him. 

"You really thought I was gone? I'll never leave you. Now, we need to get back to your mission." She says, smiling. He hated that smile, he wants to take a gun out and shoot her right in her head. But he can't. He can't even blink. 

"Actually, can you give me one second?" He hears himself say. He can feel himself step down from the rig and he tries to fight it. This was everything he feared. 

It was like he was being strapped down. He could still hear and feel everything but he couldn't do anything about it.

_ "That's good- once you step on the rig I'll hook the connector's up. It'll speed up the process and allow me to monitor in case it stresses your systems too much." He started to scan through the coding, sipping his drink. _

_ Gavin watched every fucking movement. He didn't want a moment away from Connor, and offered him a smile that didn't reach his eyes fully. "Hey while we're here, we can ask him about a proper dream program too- me and Connor had a couple ideas for you Eli." _

_ "They can wait til after this shitlord. One thing at a time." Gavin looked, briefly, then couldn't look away from Connor. 'What did that mean? Does he think the AIs still there?' He was lost- coding like this alluded him. AIs and Cyberlife- it was that reason Gavin hated non-deviant androids. Now he felt pity and distrust, but still. _

_ The minute Connor's LED went yellow, Gavin moved to him. "You good babe? If you want, I can hold your hand through this. Tell you a story-" _

_ Eli laughed then. "I can tell you a better one. I have so many embarrassing teenager Gavin stories. Including the one time he went to pride and had to explain to our parents why his hair was rainbow colored- with permanent hair dye." There was no blush from Gavin, completely neutral and calm for the other. He could focus on Eli's teasing later. _

"I'm fine. I wanted to get something." He says. He feels himself look around and locks on the Chloe. 

``Eliminate Target``

"No! No, please Amanda! She did nothing wrong. Amanda, stop!" He cries out, struggling against the hold. 

He felt tears run down his face, both in the garden and on his body. He was getting through! It wasn't much, but his emotions where getting through. 

"She is a deviant. Your mission is to eliminate all deviants on sight." She says. He feels his body walk closer to the Chloe. 

"Stop!" Somehow that one word got out. He hoped Gavin would understand. 

He walks towards the Chloe and grabs his arm, twisting it behind her back before running out of the room. He knew where he was headed. He hated it but it made sense. If Amanda wanted to take out as many as she could she'd find the gun that Connor knew Kamski had.

_ 'Get something?' There wasn't anything beyond thirium, or maybe his coat, that Connor would need. Still- "I can get it Con. Just relax on the rig." But the other looked past him, looking at sunshine. 'She has a name- I couldn't care less right this moment brain.' _

_ Then the other was crying, and everything in Gavin's blood went cold. Connor cried, yeah, but not for no reason. He wasn't him on a cold morning trying to cope- he always cried for a reason. "Elijah." His voice was low, and Gavin moved to hold onto Connor's bad arm. _

_ "On it!" _

_ "Connor, back on the rig-" The 'stop!' broke his heart, and he should've listened. He should've listened, he got the other hurt, Connor's suffering because he didn't listen- _

_ Shutting the thoughts down were necessary and he hid behind a front of aggression, voice turning cold. In the back of his head, it reminded him of Fowler- or Allen of all fucking people. Connor had ripped his arm away when he attacked the Chloe, and Gavin focused on Elijah for the second he had while Connor fought and ran. _

_ "Elijah- do whatever it takes to shut that AI down, yesterday! You have scrambler technology in this house, I know you fucking do don't argue- use it. Sunshine- I know you're damaged, tell all the other girls to stop Connor. If he gets the gun, we can't fix that damage." A warning and a promise. Gavin wasn't going to let Connor become what he feared, and was already up the steps as Eli yelled back. _

_ "This is going to get ugly!" Elijah cursed as the steps ran after each other and started to scan through the coding on several screens. It took him a moment to find it, but now the fun challenge was disabling and removing it while it was fighting back. "You may be a computer, but I'm the god that created you- you will submit." _

Connor tried to fight it every step, but he couldn't gain control. He didn't want to hurt anyone. He would though. He knew he was going to. This was what he was created to do. 

He also knew Gavin was coming after him. He wanted to yell at him to stay back. If he hurt Gavin he didn't know what he'd do with himself. 

He saw a Chloe run into the hall, feet bare and looking scared. He hated it. He hated that he was the one causing this fear, again. 

"Amanda, please. You don't have to do this. Your coding is outdated, androids have rights." He pleaded. Amanda just stood in front of him, a sick smile on her face. It was like she was enjoying this. 

"Once we have taken care of this silly revolution we will take care of you. Don't worry, the deaths will be quick." He felt the snow pick up, coming down harder and faster. 

The Chloe stepped up and threw a punch, which his body easily dodged. He twisted her arm behind and kicked at her knee, making her fall. 

He twisted her arm, pulling it off before moving forward down the hall. Other Chloe's tried to stop him, but they were easily to just push aside. Some got in a few good punches and kicks. One even did damage to his thirium pump. 

He wanted them to make him shut down. If he was shut down then he couldn't do damage. He would probably be able to be fixed, but he'd take the chance of not waking up. If he got out of this house he knew who Amanda would go to next. 

A few Chloes ganged up on him, pulling at his hair and arms. His bad arm is taking a lot of damage but it's still in use when he gets through them. 

His damaged was at 67%. He was slowly bleeding from a few places. The next Chloe that came at him held a knife. He would kiss her if he had the chance. 

She somehow got a stab I'm his chest. He took the knife out and slashed out, cutting her cheek. He then hit her on the neck enough to make her collapse. 

Now he had a weapon. It wasn't much but he didn't need much. 

_ Elijah worked hard on the code, and pulled up a screen of what the Zen Garden should look like on the still code. As he did start getting rid of Amanda, the garden shifted, and he felt sincere worry. Connor would have to go to this place alone, no Amanda, neither of them, when the EMP went out- until Elijah could get him to reboot. And it looked like a fucking Silent Hill nightmare. _

_ There was a trail of blood left for Gavin, and he abandoned his coat in the hallway. Fully aware of every disadvantage, he couldn't stop to check on the bodies. He couldn't look- he knew it wasn't cold in here, but the one glimpse he got and he remembered running to his home. The bodies- 'Focus.' _

_ He did have to stop to make sure the armless Chloe was laying on her good side, assuring her it would be fine. But then he continued hearing another cry out. "Connor- Connor!" The Chloes got smart, bless Elijah for his blonde army, and the one's they didn't outright try to stop Connor blocked the whole hallway and room with the gun. _

_ Then one more Chloe approached him. Gavin would recognize her, even have a name to her face. She had a very peculiar style, from being deviant longer. She liked leopard print- red leopard printed tanktop and black pants. She was older, and she looked to Connor determined, standing between him and the hallway of Chloes he needed to get through. There was no LED, and she actually stood as if she had fought before. Unsure, but at least a little wiser. _

_ She approached Connor and kicked, aiming out to his hips, not letting herself pause when it landed. At best, it would knock the other down- center of gravity and all. At worst, it would push him back maybe an inch. She was trying to disorient him. _

Connor looked around as the garden started to change. Amanda was still there but she looked different. It was like fragments of her where the wrong saturation. He really hoped this was Kamski and not Amanda trying to get rid of him all together. 

When the Chloe landed the hit Connor wanted to cheer. But sadly it didn't do too much, as he swung back. Connor felt himself flinch as his fist connected with her shoulder. He couldn't do much but it seemed he could make himself hit just slightly at different angels. 

He tried to focus all of his energy on messing up his own punches, but it was getting harder and harder. The garden around him seemed to be changing around him. He wanted to close his eyes so badly. It was all just too much. 

He felt himself grip the knife and lunge forward. He was able to move it to the side just enough so it wouldn't hit anything major. 

_ The Chloe grunted at the punch, and threw one back, using the other arm. She aimed it to his face and grinned when it landed with his nose. Sure her target was his eye, but she felt as the punch bent the nose, effectively doing the android equivalent of breaking it. Blue blood came out. _

_ Then she was being stabbed, overwhelmed by the punches and unable to block it. It lodged in her shoulder, the same one that was hit, inches away from her thirium pump. It bled bad, but she couldn't focus on it. Connor was close now, so she headbutted him, aiming again for his face to knock him off.  _

_ Gavin had to pause when one Chloe grabbed him. "Elijah's close to it- says prepare for major shutdown- this place is going to go dark." Gavin nodded, and looked to her, noticing she was one of the one's attacked as well. _

_ "Sit, elevate the bleeding, try to keep the thirium in and not out." He instructed, and she did as told. He took off again towards Connor, not hearing anymore yelling or fearful shouts of another Chloe getting hurt. _

Connor felt like he was straining more and realized he was trying to tear the garden down around him. He had to pick between trying to tear it down or stopping himself from hurting Chloe too bad.

He knew which one was better for the greater good. He felt himself sob as he let go of the last bit of control on his body and focused on the garden. 

Amanda had a look on her face, and he could tell she was trying to fight back. He pushed harder though, screaming when he felt it. It was like he was ripping his own skin off. 

His body went as hard as it could against the Chloe. It only stumbled back at the headbutt before grabbing her arm and twisting it completely out. He then quickly bent and took her leg, pulling her off balance, her head hitting the flow with a hard thump. 

_ She cried out at the sudden removal of her limb, and when her head hit the floor she felt the chassis crack. So many errors filled her vision, yet she still kicked. The Chloe knew she wasn't winning this fight, she was just buying time. Still, she didn't want to die either, thirium now leaking from several places. _

_ That's what Gavin came into. Blue blood- Connor with a leg in his bad arm, armless Chloe- Lizzy he corrected- and Connor's red LED. His face was so blank and it was truly terrifying. But also was the thought of Connor actually killing someone under some fucking AI's control. 'Not phcking happening!'  _

_ Running into a full tackle, he gripped Connor's arm and used his momentum to push, aiming to dislocate it and force the wires out of place, so Lizzy could run. He barely turned to the girl, spitting out a command with the fierce voice he reserved for work. "Liz- run now!" Thankfully, in the weirdest way, she kept the knife in her as she ran, rather scooted away, preventing either of them from grabbing it. _

_ Then his focus was on Connor. "Connor, you need to stand down- I don't want to hurt you. Please, I don't want to hurt you. You can hear me right? I'm here- I still love you angel, but you need to stand down." _

He could. He could hear him perfectly and it just made him try to fight harder. He had to tear this whole place to the ground, even if it meant he'd go down with it. 

"Amanda, Amanda he's a human. You can't hurt him!" He said, struggling as hard as he could. 

"He is in the way, we will take him out to reach our objective." She said. She was too fucking calm. 

"No! This is your objective. Don't fucking touch him." He snarled. 

Amanda tilted her head and he wanted to snap it in half. "Connor, you can't possibly think you love this man. You are a machine, you can't feel love." 

"Like fuck I can't." He snarled. It hurt so fucking much. It was burning and cold at the same time. He had to stop this. He had to stop himself. 

His body moved against his will as he completely ripped the arm off, getting out of Gavin's hold. The skin around his hand was glitching, sometimes exposing the chassis. 

His body moved forward, taking a swing at Gavin's face.

_ The hit landed, of course it did, and Gavin felt the familiar pain that was a nose being broken. Nothing that a quick set couldn't fix, but the taste of iron filled his mouth and covered his face. All he could see was the brilliant flash of blue. Despite it, the only thing he could think of was the arm ripped off. The way Connor's hand glowed hitting his skin. It was fixable, all of the damage, of course it was, but it still made him want to scream. _

_ Puke. Cry. Kick. Hit- anything to get rid of the anger at this AI for hurting Connor. For controlling Connor- oh a new hatred for Cyberlife reared in him like he hadn't felt since the revolution and he was going to burn the bastard that created Amanda. After he got Connor back. "You're not getting rid of me with one hit, one hand wonder." He tried to joke, a defense against the emotions, and then tackled the other. _

_ Only another minute, just a little bit more. He only had to stall Connor. His arms wrapped around the other's waist and he tried to force him back and down. With the pain in his face and back, and the way the ropes burned now, he didn't have much hope.  _

Connor's body struggled, kicking out. He hit Gavin's knee, thankfully not breaking anything. His body was on its last legs (heh). His damage was at 79%, but even then it kept fighting. 

He twisted out of Gavin's hold, but pulled him into a chokehold. 

Connor felt his heart break into a million pieces. No. No this wasn't happening. 

"Amanda!" He shouted. It felt like something cracked and he leaped forward wrapping his arms around Amanda's throat. 

Then he felt his body drop to the ground. He could cry of happiness. They shut him down. He was still slightly aware though, and he was still in the garden.

The Chloe's that had been guarding the hallways all dropped simultaneously, falling to the ground, some landing on each other. The power in the house also went out too, no sounds of any electronics running.

_ Elijah cried out in success when he launched the EMP through his house's scrambler systems- yes they weren't exactly law-enforcement approved but he liked his privacy. The EMP was laced with an over-ride code for the entire section of code containing the AI program, the Zen Garden, and even partially his connection to Cyberlife. If everything went well, Amanda was gone for good, the Zen Garden suffered minimal corruption, and Connor still could access Cyberlife servers- given direct connection. No more remote control. _

_ If anything went bad well- Amanda was definitely gone. The garden could be a little, or a whole fucking lot corrupted, and the connection could require direct plugin instead of interface. That was all somewhat in the air, things to be touched on later. He hoped for the best. The downside to delivering the patch this way- it was going to his Chloes too. Sure it wouldn't do anything to them, but the EMP alone was going to drop the girls and force them into stasis- weaker systems and all.  _

_ He was hoping it would knock Connor out too. He ran upstairs to check the damage. _

_ Connor's Zen Garden was affected immediately- the sky glitching into the static of an old tv set before 0's and 1's spammed across it and spread across the world. Black and white boxes glitched the trees and the wood, and they became the same static before a monotone grey. The grass- the same, grey static and then grey blades close to black. The sky became a void, the water became an eerily glowing white. The leaves on the tree remained tv static, never settling on a color. The snow stopped suddenly, and as the world lost color, being taken over by corrupted code fighting to stay correct, what was a peaceful garden was now a black and white dead zone. Fog filtered over the water, and then there was the softest sound. _

_ Pure white noise, emanating from the fog, as it slowly curled around and became the only thing to 'live' in the corruption. _

Amanda turned into coding before completely disappearing. Connor felt his hands shaking as he looked around. No matter how much he now hated the place part of him wanted the peacefulness back. Now it looked like it was straight out of a horror film. 

He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to wake up either. If he did he didn't know if he would be stopped in time. So he didn't try to force his systems back up.

Instead he curled into himself, trying to block everything out. He tried to bring up memories but everything was just too hard. It felt like he couldn't breathe. 

"Please… Gavin." He whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut as tears streamed down.

_ Gavin watched as everyone, including Connor, his choke hold releasing just in time for Gavin to gasp for air, watching the bodies drop. It took him a moment, but then everything settled. Everything settled and the silence and image was enough to break him. _

_ For a moment he wasn't here. He was walking into an alley way, at the start of Jericho forming. It was quiet, cold, and there were bodies lying at his feet. 'He did all this damage?'Deviants. Deemed defective, killed and piled in an alley. He was called in for the report of bodies, an oblivious old lady terrified. 'Gavin you're bleeding!' He was terrified. He shifted the the bodies, trying to find one deviant, possibly alive, possibly repairable- save-able. He could save one of them- but every single one was a shot to the head. To the thirium pump. 'Gavin? Dipshit?' Ripped apart. Dead. _

_ "GAVIN." A hard slap on his already stinging face reminded him how to breath, and the still bodies of all the Chloes and Connor came back into view in a house just being lit by the morning sun. He looked to the source, Elijah having ran from upstairs. There was silence, and then Elijah just sighed. "Everyone's in stasis. Not dead. They're not dead again Gavin." Gavin rubbed his face. His whole body ached, shivering from pain alone. _

_ "Making a damn mess of your house. Sorry 'bout that." Elijah said nothing and winced at the 'sorry'. Gavin chose to ignore it, instead lifting Connor's upper half and pressing a kiss to his red LED. "Grab his arm." Elijah of course did so, and they went down to the lab with him. _

_ "I'm going to get all the damaged Chloes and set them up. You just- stay here." No response, Gavin simply setting Connor on the rig and then holding the hand that was there. The pain grounded him but the silence let his mind run free. Elijah went back upstairs. _

_ Gavin didn't know what to do to fill the void, so he started to sing quietly, emotion finally in his voice. "I got those jet pack blues, just like Judy." _

He could still hear them. He heard Kamski and then Gavin. They were both ok and alive. He would love here forever if it meant they'd be ok. 

He heard Gavin singing and he felt his heart break again. He wanted to reach out and touch him, but he couldn't. He wanted to reboot himself but he couldn't risk it. He couldn't risk almost killing Gavin. 

Fuck, he almost killed Gavin. He knew he could have. He didn't know if he'd been able to recontrol his body even after breaking out of Amanda's hold. Would he have to find the panel again? Would that have even worked? Would it have been too late? 

He didn't know and that scares him. It scares him with what he did. What had had most feared had come true. He was lucky he was with Gavin and Kamski. If he wasn't… he knew where he would have gone. He knew Markus might not have noticed if he was acting off. He might have shot him like Amanda had tried to do before. 

He didn't know if he could ever trust himself. Not after what he had done. He hurt innocent Chloe's, he hurt Gavin. He would have hurt anyone who would have gotten in his way or tried to stop him. 

A very small part of him hoped he would never wake up. That this would be his punishment. This hell he was in. But he heard Gavin's voice and knew he had to keep going. He had to live. 

_ Gavin watched the red LED, the only sign of life. He kept singing, lowly, softly, squeezing his hand. He remembered it glowed blue- his nose hurt. His voice wavered for the briefest moment at the thought of Connor not waking up. He had done so much he was afraid of, he hurt people he would never forgive himself for. Gavin knew this- knew that Connor had to be so stressed- he could lose him. _

_ But then Elijah brought the Chloes down, and his voice solidified, not wanting to worry anyone. Not him, not Connor, not any of the Chloes. He had to believe that Connor would wake up, that was the only option. Elijah came over, and pushed Gavin aside, getting a wince for his actions. "Gavin, stop- go sit." Gavin shook his head, the words continuing until the song was over and he just breathed. _

_ "Gavin. Sit." Elijah's voice was stern, and he gripped Gavin's shoulder. Gavin turned, glaring at him. _

_ "Quit phcking babying me. I got my nose broken so what- not the first, certainly not the last." _

_ "No wonder you can't cook. Point stands- unless your getting some tools to help work, sit. Wait- no- I didn't-" Gavin turned at the command, getting out tools. _

_ "I know I don't know enough to help with Con's arm, so I'll patch up the girls. Again, not the first time." He pulled out his phone and held it between his teeth. He ignored the way the light shook, and Elijah's look. Then he was being turned around. _

_ "Alright you stubborn bitch- if you're going to help, you aren't bleeding inside my girls. I'm setting your nose- again. Prepare yourself." _

_ "What great bedside manners." Elijah held up a papertowel. _

_ "Blow." Gavin did as told, wincing and biting on his cheek to hold back the whimper. _

_ He knew what was coming next, but it didn't make it hurt any less. "Breathe in-" _

_ "Phck you." And shift. Tears came out of him, and he felt so dizzy. _

_ "Woah there- Gavin you do down and you will take us both idiot! Told you to sit!" _

_ After that, there were no more words til everything was powered back on. Gavin worked on the Chloes, constantly checking on Connor. Elijah re-attached his arm, turned the generator on for his lab, and checked his coding. "Alright. I'm going to forcefully wake up Connor- tell you both the good news-bad news." _

_ "Mmf, I will kick your ass if there's bad news." _

Connor listened to them talk, latching onto like a lifeline, which at this point it basically was. He hated the sound of Gavin being in pain, but knew that setting his nose would be much better than waiting until it was too late. 

He knew he wanted to pull Gavin into a hug when he woke up, but he had blue blood all over him, and it wasn't just from himself. Plus he didn't know how well his arm was. He was equally powered in both arms, but now he supposed he had a good hand and bad.

When the two stopped talking he felt everything rush back. He tried to focus on anything else, but it was so hard. 

When Kamski finally said he was going to be turned back on he wanted to cry. He trusted him to have removed Amanda completely, but there was still the irrational fear. 

``Systems restarting``

It took his systems an entire minute until he could open his eyes. When he did the first thing he looked at was Gavin, feeling himself start to cry again. 

_ Gavin dropped his tool, running over and hugging Connor. Blue blood be damned, he was covered in blue and red, and he didn't give a fuck. "Connor-" He hugged onto his chest tightly, gritting his teeth as the other cried. "Connor I'm so sorry, I should've listened- you were so scared and I didn't know and I'm so sorry I let it get that far." _

_ Elijah was glad he didn't have anything else physically to fix on the other, cause he doubted even another Connor could pry Gavin off right now. The man shook slightly, holding onto him as if letting go would lose him again. Elijah focused on the other Chloes, waiting for the two to talk. He did stop to remove Connor from the rig, only speaking for a moment. "Your arm isn't as bad as before, since you've been acclimating to this one already." And he moved back to the Chloes, finishing up where Gavin left off. _

_ Gavin didn't dare move an inch, just mumbling 'I'm sorry's and 'I'm here's as he clung to the other. _

Connor wrapped his arms around Gavin, pulling him as close as physically possible. "It's ok. You didn't do anything, this isn't your fault." He should have found the coding before. If this was anyone's fault if was his own. 

"I'm… I'm ok, Gavin. Are you alright? I broke your nose, fuck. I'm so sorry. What about the Chloes? I...I didn't kill any did I? I was trying to not hurt them, but I had to decide between that or trying to take Amanda down. I should have picked them. I'm so sorry." Even if he wanted to pull back to see Gavin, he wouldn't be able to through the tears. 

_ "And it's not yours either! You tried so damn hard to fight- you wouldn't have missed other wise. I should've- phck my nose Connor. And you're not alright- you're crying and you've had to fight a fucking demon for control of your own body. You're allowed to be not alright." Gavin moved a hand up to grip the back of the other's neck, and the other was gripping the shirt between his shoulder blades. _

_ Sure his whole fucking body protested any touch, he didn't care. "Phck my nose- It's not the first time it's been broken. And you didn't kill any- I wouldn't have let you kill anyone, told you I'd be there. They're all being patched up, just need thirium top ups." He avoided the alright question because there was no way to answer that without lieing, which the other would be able to tell.  _

_ "I was so fucking worried I'd lose you- you told me what you were afraid of and I didn't listen..." Elijah chose now to cut back in, whistling lowly. _

_ "Connor, drink. You need to top up your thirium levels, they are below thirty percent." _

Connor took the thirium with shaky hands and chugged it. He didn't give a single flying fuck what it tasted like. When he finished he handed it back to Kamski. 

He turned back to Gavin, quickly wiping his eyes before pulling back the skin on his hands and cupping Gavin's face. 

"Thank you. You did stop me. Thank you. You did listen and you brought me here. If I had to be anywhere for that to happen I'm glad it was here. You couldn't have known that she was still there. I couldn't even detect her in my systems." He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Gavin's. 

"I, Gavin, I could have killed you. And it felt like she wanted me to. Like she hoped you would try to stop me. I don't know what I'd do with myself if I succeeded." He wanted to scold Gavin for putting himself in danger, but he would do the same thing, and has done the same thing. 

_ Gavin reached up, touching Connor's face gently, hoping that the other didn't question the tremble in his hands. "Neither could you Connor. I know- no matter what I say- you'll blame yourself. I know you will. But you couldn't tell- you had a fear and we acted on it, this is no one's fault here." _

_ He seen the blue from the corner of his eyes and he just let them close. Connor was fine, he was still Connor, he was still here. A small shake went through him but he didn't, couldn't, break. Not now. _

_ Knowing he was being scolded, Gavin could only grin, looking to Connor again. "Connor- angel- you wouldn't let her. There's no one in this world I trust more than you- you're smart- you were trying to stop her long before the EMP went out. The fact is- in that chokehold- she could've won." She could've snapped his neck, Gavin knew that. He could've died, and he would've, if it meant Connor got a few more minutes before Eli could save him. _

_ "But she didn't, because you were fighting her. I love you so fucking much-" Elijah coughed behind them, and Gavin winced, the sudden noise spooking him. _

_ "Sorry to interrupt, but I figured you'd want the good news/bad news before the Chloes wake up. Also, if you don't force him to sit, I'm about to-" Gavin snarked, glaring at the other.  _

_ "Pry me off him, I dare you." _

He pressed a shaky kiss to Gavin's lips before making sure they were both sitting. They were on the ground because that just seemed easiest. "I love you too."

Connor kept himself as close to Gavin as he could. He knew why Amanda had went with choking Gavin. It was slower and he'd be able to feel him die. If Amanda had a physical body he'd give her a very long, slow, and painful death. 

He was also tempted to do the same for whoever created her, but he didn't want to hurt anyone. Not right now.

Connor did glance at the Chloe's and flinched. He knew they were fine, and that they weren't dead. But he still caused them pain and fear. He caused them to get hurt. He turned his head away and looked up at Kamski. "She's completely gone, right? Please tell me she is." If not he'd power himself down.

_ Elijah saw the look, and decided to start there, despite the questions. And he meant on a chair, but Gavin was sitting. He curled into Connor, holding onto him with a near death grip that would've definitely hurt Elijah. _

_ "Well to start with- Liz says thank you- for fighting. I was talking with her while checking her coding when she hit her head. She caught the hesitation too- she's been a good number of fights." He said this a bit proudly- Liz actively sought out fights, wanting to be more than an assistant.  _

_ "All the girls are fine. 'Sunshine' as Gavin called her, May as she goes by, told everyone it was a program controlling you when she sent out the alert. Cue the 'group up' tactics. Not really made for fighting..." He didn't add that he was surprised there wasn't more bodies. Maybe he'd teach all the girls karate. It would be fun. _

_ "As for Amanda- oh absolutely. So here's the good and the bad- She's completely scrubbed from your system. As well as any possibility of remote control in the future- if you get hacked, it'll have to be through a physical connection- which- I wish anybody luck who tries that. Between the two of you-" He shook his head. _

_ "On the negative side- I completely fucked the Zen Garden program. I know you were forced to go into and I'm sorry- that had to be horrifying. I had different models for how bad it was going to be but- in the end it was either void or near void corruption levels. I can fully disable the program, if you want. Someone mentioned something about dreams- and there is a dream program out- well- it's a stasis memory review. I'm working on making it more interactive, but it allows you to essentially run memories like movies in stasis, without distracting your systems." _

_ Elijah tapped his tablet. "Also- any updates, patches- they can't be transmitted. Direct transfer only. And I'd come to me specifically for them, or somewhere ran by Jericho." _

He was so glad they were ok. He hurt them, but they'd be fine. And they knew he hadn't meant to do any of that. He didn't know what he could do to make it up to them. He'd do anything they asked. 

He shuddered at the zen garden. He had been incredibly distracted but now that he was out of it he could remember it all clearly. They way it held no color. How…how he was back in his old uniform. 

"Just, can you get rid of it completely? I don't want it at all." He asked. He really hoped he could, even if that prevented him from dreaming. 

The updates weren't that big of a deal. He would be happy to get them directly since it meant Amanda was gone. 

Then he remembered the blue blood, it must have gotten everywhere. "I'm sorry for making a mess. I'll clean it up myself, the Chloes shouldn't have to, it was my fault." 

_ "I can- As soon as we're done talking, I'll hook up a cord to the ports in your neck and just remove the program. Would you like the memories one? You get to chose the memories- though it is more like watching a movie than direct interaction." Gavin spoke up then. _

_ "That was our idea- if you could use the pre-construction program to recreate places from memories- like the park or a house." Gavin couldn't remember the other ideas right now. He was slowly starting to black out, his voice back to a flat tone. Ok so- fighting in shibari ropes, with the soreness from previous activities, and the emotional whiplash of all this- pain was his middle name and he was really grateful Connor was holding him. He was pretty sure he'd lay on the floor and just pass out otherwise.  _

_ Elijah tilted his head back and forth. "I can certainly try. Later though, for now just the memory review should suffice. And Connor don't- worry about the mess. Goodness, the girls haven't had a mess to clean up since Gavin's last idea worked out and I tried to surprise them all with pasta... Let's- not go over that actually. Alfredo ended up behind the fridge." He grimaced at the memory. "A couple of them find the motion relaxing. I'll probably join in to, to get a break from coding. And as Gavin stated," Elijah paused, looking to Gavin and going quiet. "As Gavin should be stating- Gavin?" _

_ The man jerked, eyes having closed and he looked over. "What- I was listen to Connor's cooling fans fucker." Elijah frowned, a second, the emotion receding back to neutral. "It wasn't your fault Connor. That was entirely Amanda's doing- and I bet on my own life, she is gone. She will never return." _

Connor nodded, Amanda was gone. She was gone for good and never coming back. "That works. I'd like that, as long as it isn't similar to the garden." 

He did understand liking cleaning but he still felt a bit guilty. He was curious as to what happened with the pasta, but that could be talked about later.

He didn't miss the way Gavin was acting though. 

"Gavin? Love, we should take the rope off." He really didn't care at this point if Kamski heard him. He just cared about Gavin's stress levels which were very high. 

He was really impressed that Gavin managed to fight him so long with the rope and pain he must be in. 

_ Gavin just nodded at first, more listening to the voice than the words. It was nice to trust like this. But then they registered and Gavin groaned a bit. "Probably, but that requires stripping. And nerdy over there would have a fit seeing me undressed." _

_ "I would rather make sure you don't pass out than anything. But if it's more comfortable, you two can head up to a room? I'm not going to ask what you mean by ropes..." Elijah stood up.  _

_ "Power should be on in a couple minutes, and the Chloes should come back online at the same time. Connor, please take care of him because he sure as hell won't do it himself." Gavin grumbled, reaching away to flip Elijah off. _

_ "Phck off, thank you for fixing all this but phck you. I'm capable of taking care of myself just fine." _

_ "Stand up then." _

_ There was silence and Elijah walked over to the other girls at that. "Phck! I can stand just fine I just don't wanna move." _

Connor smiled at the two interacting. He stood, and pulled Gavin up with him. He still didn't fully trust himself, but he trusted himself enough to be able to get them both to a room. 

"Thank you, Kamski. If there's anything I can do to make up for all of this, please let me know." He owed his own life, and countless others to all the Chloes, Gavin and Kamski. 

"You are taking the rest of the day off, no buts. I'll let Hank know what's happened. I'm sure he'll be here too." He really hoped him being damaged wouldn't be a routine whenever he visited Kamski. 

He would call Hank instead of texting once they were in the room and the ropes were off Gavin. 

_ "Call me Elijah, please. You're dating my brother, you're part of the family." Gavin didn't comment on how Elijah met exes and never gave them that speech, instead leaning on Connor. _

_ He shook slightly as they stood. Elijah kept going though. "I'll be sure to. Just stop over whenever you have time, the girls and I will probably figure out something for you to do." _

_ Gavin whined at being told he was taking the day off. "Connor I'm fine- fine enough for paperwork at least. When Hank gets here I'll get going- you'll want to spend time with him anyways." He had Connor all night and then put him through hell in the morning. _

_ Hank was going to kill him. "I can't ruin Tina's party over a little pain- if I take time off I'll have to make it up. And also I'll worry Fowler too. I'm fine, really babe." _

_ Attempting to soothe Connor's worry, he leaned up to kiss Connor's cheek. _

"Thank you, Ka-Elijah." Yeah that definitely felt weird to say. If they wanted him to parachute off a building he would, even with his fear of heights. 

He kept his arm around Gavin, making sure they were both stable. He had to turn his automatic healing on so his bruises were going away and the stab wound was being healed. 

He gave a nod to Kamski before starting down towards the rooms. They had to go down the hallway where there was blood. If he could, he would get sick. He caused this. 

He focused on Gavin, smiling at the kiss and pressed a kiss to his temple. 

"You won't ruin anything. I want to spend time with both of you. Gavin, I know what you're thinking. None of this was your fault alright? No one is angry or upset with you. I could hear you when he fought and you helped me so much."

"You're allowed to be not ok, it doesn't make you weak." He mumbled, watching his face. He couldn't look at the blue blood around them. 

_ Gavin noticed the reaction, leaning into Connor further and hand pressing onto his chest. "Focus on me babe. And I- I know you do. But I don't-" Want to let Fowler down. Want to be seen as weak. Want to fuck up all the good things they had planned... But then he looked to Connor, seen the fear he tried to hide.  _

_ "I'm fine Connor- ok sure- I'm in- a bit of pain." He grinned more sheepishly, every movement was killing him just a little bit but he could handle it. "But I'm fine. I'm more worried about you than anything else. I'll tell Fowler some shit went- sideways. Tell him I will come in tomorrow but I need to help Eli today. But that's it Con, I can't fuck up next weekend for anyone. I'm so excited to let you experience sleepover parties, and all the games." Sunday he needed to clean. Alone, if possible. Everything he pushed down felt like a void ball in his stomach. _

_ He opened the door to the one of the spare rooms, and lead the way into the room. _

"Alright, but you have to take it easy. No heavy lifting and no extra emotional strain." He couldn't even imagine how Gavin wasn't scared of him. 

He had every right to be, and every reason. He already beat him up once (admittedly that was Gavin's own fault), but now he did it again and this time he almost killed him. He almost killed someone he loves. 

He focused on taking care of Gavin, gently pulling his clothes off. He gently touched Gavin's nose before frowning. He broke his nose. 

Connor had gotten more damaged than anyone else, thankfully. He still had blue blood (mostly his own) all over himself. He'd have to wash off once he'd taken care of Gavin. 

He moved around to Gavin's back and slowly started untying him. Each time a knot was undone he would message the skin and place a quick kiss. "I'm sorry for hurting you."

_ "I can agree to that. Fowler's only letting me do paperwork anyways." He reminded him, watching him move. He was watching for any more signs of damage Elijah may have missed. "Your arm, how's it feeling?" Elijah said it should be back to normal, but he was still cautious. He moved his arms to help remove this shirt, and winced as it expose how the ropes dug and burned from the movement. _

_ "My nose is fine Con. I'll ice it later, take the swelling down- it'll be back to it's scarred perfection in no time. Hell- pretty sure it might even be cleared out now." The other moved around him, and the hands at the knot got him to jump, the skin very sensitive. _

_ "You didn't Connor- Amanda did. You weren't in control, and I will never, never blame you for any of this. And you won't convince me otherwise. I'm sorry that you had to go through that-" He sounded like he was going to continue but cut himself off, instead flinching as the ropes were pulled a bit. "Shower together after this? You're covered, I'm covered- and I don't wanna leave your side." _

"My arm is alright. It was a good idea going for that one. I didn't think I... Amanda would rip it off." He had run a check on his damages and it could have been a lot worse. "She had all the information. She could have done so much worse than just punching." 

She could have made him say things he never wanted to say. Thankfully she seemed set on just killing as many deviants possible and getting to Markus. He knew that Amanda was controlling him, but it was just his body. He should have been able to regain control. 

He wasn't sure if he could forgive himself though. It would probably take him a long time before he fully trusted himself, even with knowing Amanda was gone for good.

"That sounds good. Are you sure you're alright? Is your throat ok?" He still worked on each knot, continuing with the small massage and kisses.

_ "Amanda was confident you'd only need one arm- And I know she could've. Phck, I definitely know. But you were fighting her- And I'm so proud of you for that. It couldn't have been easy, and it had to have hurt." Things he would never experience, he just had to be there for Connor.  _

_ Gavin groaned at the ones around his sides, those having moved the most. The massages and kisses did help, but Gavin just wanted held again- to hold onto Connor and never let go. He knew he felt extra clingy, he was just glad it was Connor was there and not his poor cats.  _

_ "Hah- Amanda didn't account for the fact I like being choked- chokeholds don't scare me as much as they should. Which- ok that could be a bad thing in the future but let's not think about it. Needless to say, nothing ice can't fix. I'm fine babe, just need these off and you." _

"It did hurt." He mumbled. He'd never felt pain like that before. "It was like I was ripping my own skin off, well that's not too far. I'm sure me trying to take down the garden from the inside didn't help with it's corruption." 

He hoped he'd never have to feel that again. He also hoped that he'd never choke Gavin against his will again. He did chuckle at the comment, placing a kiss to his neck as he pulled the rest of the rope off. 

He would take care of the rope, winding it up and cleaning it, later. Now, he pulled his shirt off, which was actually Gavin's. He'd have to make sure to have that fully cleaned. The stab wound was still closing, but it was almost done so he could take a shower and move around with out damaging it more. He'd have to give congratulate Lizzy if she wasn't too afraid of him when she woke up. 

His hair was a mess from all the Chloes trying to stop him, and if he wasn't healing he'd definitely have bruises. Good on them though, they did really well. 

He pulled the pants off before pulling Gavin into a hug. He was so glad he could feel his heart beating. 

_ "I wish I could help with that pain- all I can do is be here for you Connor. And when we're all cleaned up and good, Elijah can get you the memory review, then me and you don't pull away all night." He smiled to the idea, wanting nothing more than to cuddle. _

_ He didn't react at the kiss, too sore to really register the feeling. The rope was off and he looked down. It was honestly, in a very distant and Gavin almost thought of his drop care kit in the car, but it was almost kinda of pretty, the red marks over him in the diamond pattern yet. With the bruises around his neck and hips, he was pretty certain no one would look at him and think a fight happened. Not of the nature Connor was worried about. _

_ Gavin turned to Connor, looking at the stab wound and frowning. "You good to get in the shower, or want to wait til that fully closes?" He reached for the other, holding onto him and kissing his cheek. He rubbed the other's back, holding close to him. Connor was here- ok wasn't a word for either of them- but alive and here. Ok they'd have to work on. "I can wait, you probably want to call Hank right?" _

"We should shower. I need to relax a little bit more before Hank freaks out." And boy was he going to. "This will be fine. I'm actually impressed she got one in." He tried to joke but it mostly came out flat. 

Connor moved back so he could pull them into the bathroom, turning on the water. He made it hot, but hopefully not too hot for Gavin. Part of him still felt cold from the garden and he hated it. 

Once the water was hot he pulled them both in, letting the water hit him first. He did pull Gavin into a another kiss, this one more desperate but not in a sexual way. Just desperate to be with Gavin, and to not hurt him again like that. 

_ Even if it came out flat, it got a small grin. "Yeah? Not everyone can say they fought against the best and held their own. She's gonna be very happy she helped." He wasn't hard to move around, and he really couldn't care how hot or cold the water was. A lot of him was still- tingling or numb. _

_ Still, he did hiss at the shock of the water, melting into Connor after a moment and settling with his arms around him again. Faintly he could hear the bustle of the house, the silence melting as everyone woke up again. Thankfully there was no loud noises or yelling, so Gavin assumed Elijah was doing his best downstairs. _

_ Hopefully- none of the girls would come in to try and check on them both. At the kiss, Gavin responded back with just as much energy- one hand curling around Connor's head and holding him close. When he had to breath, he barely pulled back, letting their foreheads touch. "I love you Connor- so much. Never forget this- please. Nothing today has changed that." _

_ He looked to Connor's eyes, and leaned in for another kiss, wanting to express all the love he felt. Sure he didn't have 50 ways to say it, but he hoped Connor understood he meant the few ways he could say it. He could've fell asleep like this, hell it was tempting, but he knew there was a lot he had to do yet.  _

Connor held onto him as gently as he could. Part of him was afraid he'd start squeezing his neck again. He felt himself shudder and he had to drop his arms. He wanted to touch Gavin so badly. He knew Amanda did this on purpose and he hated it. 

He stayed close but pulled back, finding a washcloth to gently wash at Gavin's skin. "I love you too. And you held your own too. That was very impressive. Maybe...maybe one day soon I can show you how to take me down easier, show you where all my weak spots are." 

It would be a good idea just in case he was ever controlled again, and it would help if Gavin had to take down another android for some reason. 

_ At the shudder and the drop, Gavin's heart lurched, but he pushed aside the fear and tried to listen to reason. Connor was afraid too- and no matter what his brain tried to think, he knew it was because of what happened with Amanda. "Connor- you can hold me. You didn't hurt me to begin with- that was Amanda. Please don't- don't let her win. I promise you you can hold me as tight as you want, I won't go no where." _

_ He enjoyed the soft move of the washcloth against his skin, and he felt really tired, but he also knew he didn't need cleaned as much as Connor did. So he grabbed a washcloth and moved to do the same. "There is some courses like that I think, coming up for the DPD. Non-lethal takedown methods for androids. I just- didn't want to take it because I didn't want people getting the wrong idea ya know." _

_ Gavin ran the cloth over Connor's arm, making sure there were suds before moving. He started with the one he hurt of course, pulling the palm up to kiss gently. _

"Well, if you still don't feel comfortable taking the class, I'm sure I could teach you. Not just my weaknesses but other model's too." He was originally built to take down androids, not really humans. Sure if he needed to he could, but he knew what things he could do with every Cyberlife model. 

Connor took a deep breath before stepping forward and giving Gavin a bone-crushing hug. Of course not hard enough to actually hurt him, but it was definitely tight. 

He didn't care that he was bloody or that a Chloe could try to come check on them. He just cared about showing Gavin it wasn't him that made him scared. He loves him with his whole art and he wasn't going to let an AI stop him.

He let his chassis show through everywhere they touched. "I'm so sorry. I know you don't blame me, but it was still my body that did that. I don't know what I looked like, but it was probably terrifying." He mumbled. 

_ "I- I would appreciate that honestly. I don't." Gavin frowned a bit. "I don't always want to be 'that asshole that hates androids'- I don't. But people would see me take that class and they'll talk shit- say I'm doing it to get away with attacking people and I just- I'd rather get my ass kicked than have another rumor started." _

_ His frown was wiped away by the hug, and of course he hugged back, holding so tight he shook slightly. His face buried into Connor's neck and shoulder, he just breathed as evenly as possible, mumbling soft 'I love you's into his skin. He could feel where the chassis pulled back and hated how cool he still felt. He wanted to wrap him in soft blankets and sit in front of a fire til they both overheated. _

_ "Your body- not your heart, not your mind. Not you." He moved his face to kiss the side of Connor's head. "It wasn't you, so I can't blame you. And honestly, it didn't- look like anything. Just a blank face and a red LED. Like you were-" He cut off, and fingers pressed in just a bit. "Like I lost you. Like you were gone and I didn't know where you went, how to get you back. There was just someone else using your body to do the one thing you were afraid of, and I was so angry about that." And so scared- Gavin couldn't describe the heart break seeing Connor's body hurt innocent people. _

"She made me watch. I could feel everything but I couldn't do anything about it. I felt every punch and I tried to show you I was fighting back by messing with my skin. It didn't work too well, but I did get it to glitch some." He took in a shuddering breath before pulling back to see Gavin's face. He cupped it with glowing hands. 

"If that ever happens again. If anyone takes over and you can't shut me down peacefully, promise me you'll shoot me." He knew it was a lot to ask but he couldn't live if he actually killed anyone like that. He kept his eyes locked on Gavin's, ignoring the water hitting his back. 

If he gained control even for a second he would have shut himself down, and if he had a weapon he would have used it on himself without hesitation. 

_ "I'm so sorry, I seen- definitely seen. When she got me- the hand glowed blue and it was all I could see for a moment." He leaned in the hands, smiling to the other with nothing but love in his expression. "You tried and that's all that matters now. We're here together." _

_ At the request though, the smile fell and Gavin swallowed, but he knew why Connor asked him. Still, the thought actually broke him a little, tearing up at the idea he'd ever have to. Connor meant the world to him, but he knew that he feared this more than ever. "I'll fight like hell before I shoot you- but I won't let anyone turn you into the bad guy Connor. I promise." He shook then, and forced out of the other's hold, hugging him tightly. _

_ "But you won't lose control again- Elijah took care of that so please- please don't make me think of that dipshit I really- I can't right now- I can't-" His throat felt like it was closing up and he was tensing just slightly. He didn't want to slip into panic again, not when Connor needed him to be a rock, so he bit the inside of his cheek til he tasted iron and the tension melted at the fresh point of pain. It was grounding, with the rest of his body now a dull ache except for his nose, and the panic receded a bit. Of course it wasn't bleeding bad, and probably unnoticeable with the blood that entered his mouth from his nose. _

Connor gently touched where Gavin was biting, "you shouldn't do that. Hey, I'm ok. Like you said, it's not going to happen again." He pressed a kiss to Gavin's shoulder and neck where he could reach. 

He knew Gavin would do what had to be done if it came to it. It was a selfish request, but he still needed it. He'd probably ask Hank to do the same. 

He was so glad Gavin had seen his hand glow. It was one of the few things he could do and was so glad it worked. It really fucking hurt when his hit landed but it was worth it. 

He did have to pull back to continue washing, blue blood going down the drain. 

_ Surprised at being caught, Gavin's eyes turned downward as he was scolded. "I know- I know for both of those. It's an old habit, it's going to be a harder one to break." He wasn't going to lie to him and say he'd stop- it was something he knew he'd do again. "I'll try to do that less," is what he said instead, and leaned into the kisses, returning a couple to his cheek. _

_ He didn't think of it anymore though, instead focusing on the list of things he needed to do once they got out. "I'll wait til Hank gets here to get you more thirium and everything. I'm not going to leave you alone." _

_ Gavin moved to finish washing himself off, seeing Connor go back to his own wounds. He was glad self-healing would take over for the stab wound- that was one scar Gavin didn't want Connor to deal with. He finished up as quick as he could so he could stop moving, mostly, but also Connor needed out. If he laid down the healing would probably go better, and he wouldn't lose as much blood. _

Connor finished with his body, though it still felt like he had blood all over him. He went directly under the spray so he could wash his hair. 

"They pulled my hair really hard." He comments. Good on them for not holding back. He did wonder what his body would have done if Gavin had pulled on his hair. 

He checks over himself and Gavin before turning the water off, shivering as the cold air hits his skin. He grabs two towels and hands one to Gavin before drying off. "We don't have any clean clothes." 

_ "Want me to massage your head? I know you don't need help growing any of it back, but it can only feel good." He offered, reaching up to card his fingers through the cleaned hair so gently. _

_ Taking the towel, he dries his hair and then pats himself down just enough to not trail. He wraps it around his waist then and shrugs. "I can ask Elijah to borrow his, and you can ask Hank to bring in yours? Until then we cuddle?" It sounded good to him. He could text Elijah to bring thirium up too- though he might have one of the girls come up. It was a gamble. _

_ Gavin wrapped his arms around the other once they were both dry, and brought them back to the bedroom. "Either way, you've had enough being cold. You need to lay down and warm up." _

Cuddling did sound really good, as did the head massage. "That sounds really nice." He pressed another kiss to Gavin's cheek. He leaned into the touch on his head and kept close to Gavin. He was fighting the feeling of fear of hurting Gavin again by clinging to him.

He pulled the covers back and got in, moving over so Gavin could get in too. He'd call once they were both settled and getting warm. He did put the towel on the ground, out of the way.

_ Gavin didn't mind this at all, holding close without hindering them. He did reach for his phone, so he could make the call like he promised. But he just held it until they were in the bed. Dropping his towel he pushed it out the bed and climbed under the covers. One arm wrapped around Connor and the other carded through his hair again. _

_ This time though, fingers pressed in gently, nails scraping lightly in a rhythmic pattern. "Want me to talk about something this time? I could tell you some stories, you could name an age and I'll try to think of something. Or a case- or a person- we could make it a game." He offered, knowing that the last thing Connor wanted to be right now was a machine. _

_ "All you gotta do is picture what happened." He removed the arm from around Connor and messaged Elijah about, if he had time(manners were coming back at least), could he bring up some more thirium. Or even something for Connor to eat.  _

_ Of course he got a 'do you need anything?' back, and Gavin typed with a small huff. _

_ Vodka lol. No no, just some ice. _

Connor hummed happily and curled up against Gavin. "Yeah, first I need to call Hank." He was not looking forward to this. Of course he wanted to see Hank but he knew the other would panic. 

He did grip Gavin pretty hard but he tried to not cause any extra pain. He was going to call in his head but it seemed like too much trouble. 

The phone rang a few times until Hank picked up. "Connor, are you alright?"

Connor took a deep breath before nodding. "I am now. I… Amanda tried to take over. I'm at Kamski's, they managed to stop me before I did any major damage and she's completely out of my system."

"Shit! Fuck, ok, I'll be right there. Gavin is with you?" Hank asks. He can hear movement and then a door shut. Probably Hank leaving the house. 

"He is. I was a bit damaged but nothing too serious. I'm assuming I'll see you soon?" 

"Of fucking course. Are you ok, son?" Hank asks. Connor can hear a car starting up and a few mumbled curse words. 

"Yeah, I'll see you soon." Connor sighed. It wasn't the worst reaction he could have gotten. 

"I'll see you too, Connor. Hey, kid, I love you." Connor couldn't help but grin widely. 

"I love you too, Hank." After that they hung up and Connor couldn't seem to stop grinning.

_ Gavin didn't mind, just setting his phone aside so his hand could join the other, playing with Connor's hair and rubbing his scalp. Thumbs would press harder to properly rub the skin, but he contented himself with the motion. _

_ Honestly everything felt sore and Connor could've death hugged him, the prickle of pain would've been the same as the gentlest touch. But he didn't care or pay attention to it. Of course he smiled when Connor spoke to the other, hearing the exchange of 'love you's and adoring the smile. "On his way?" _

_ Gavin leaned in, kissing the other's cheek when the door opened. "Hey you two, be under the blankets or dressed- I bring the requested snacks- myself not included." Gavin snorted, and looked over when Elijah put some clothes, a bottle of thirium, a thing of thirium mac n' cheese on the table. Then he sat a metal container and an empty wrap-around icepack down. _

_ "I had a shirt that would fit you Connor but that's it. Sorry. Gavin there's some spare clothes there- no- any of that- in my bed. My house- frankly." He waved at the ropes, and then went for the door. "I'll tell Hank to go up here when he gets here, if you two need something you'll have to ask one of the girls though, because I need to work on some things. The memory review program and some other stuff." _

Connor did feel like smacking his head as he sent a text requesting clothes from Hank. He knew Hank was already on the road and felt bad but Hank didn't seem to care. 

"He is. Thank you, Elijah." He said, smiling at the other. It didn't completely each his eyes but it was still a smile. It would definitely take awhile for it to be natural to call Kamski Elijah.

He did blush slightly when Kamski saw the ropes but just held onto Gavin, rubbing circles into his skin. 

Connor did sit up a bit to get the macaroni. He was really excited to try it as Hank seemed to love the stuff.

_ "Mhm, I'll see you two later. Rest- both of you." Elijah glared at Gavin, who was still playing with Connor's hair, and then closed the door behind him as he left. _

_ The only time Gavin stopped was when the other sat up, and then Gavin shifted to get the ice and ice pack, placing a couple cubes into the pack and fastening it to his face properly. He set the timer for fifteen on his phone, hissing at the pressure but otherwise saying nothing. "While you eat I'll call Fowler?" He offered, since now seemed like a better time than any. _

_ He did check his email finally, seeing that Fowler responded to the initial email. 'Send Connor my best wishes. If he needs more time off, he can let me know.' That was it. Gavin hated emails because, while professional, they always were hard to read. Especially his boss's. Still, he knew the other wasn't mad, at the very least. _

"Sounds good to me. If there is anything I can do to help your pain, please let me know." He said, taking one of Gavin's hands and kissing the top. 

He picks up the fork, taking a bite. And wow, no wonder Hank liked it so much. He felt himself groan from happiness and couldn't decide if he wanted to stuff his face or eat it slowly. 

He decided to eat it slowly, savoring each bite. "This is really good. I'd offer you some, but thirium." Connor says, before eating some more. He did drink some of the thirium before continuing to eat.

_ That merely got him to turn red slightly, playfully patting his face in return. "Unless you figure out some way to do that self healing thing to my nose, 'fraid not. Just need to rest a bit babe, I'm tough." He let the other eat in peace, turning to his phone. _

_ A sharp inhale he out through his nose, he hit the call button after the other groaned, smiling as he got to try something new again. "I'll take your word on it. Tell me if the aftertaste thing was fixed?" He vaguely remembered that being the idea he gave to Elijah yesterday. _

_ Then Fowler answered, a gruff voice. "Reed? Is everything alright?" Of course he'd jumped immediately to that- Gavin never called to begin with. _

_ "Everything's alright now captain, but some things went a little sideways, and I'm going to have to come in tomorrow. A little bit too bruised to be much help in the office, and I need to stay with Connor too. Is this alright?" _

_ There was a deep sigh, and Gavin could see the man shaking his head by memory. "Of course it fucking is Reed. You're finally taking a day off when you get injured- and while it's not necessary to come in tomorrow, of course I'm not going to say no. I'll see you tomorrow then Reed, and Connor and Hank on Monday?" _

_ Gavin looked to Connor, mouthing 'Monday' in case he didn't overhear the conversation. _

Connor didn't mean to listen in, but it was like trying not to listen to rain, it was just something he heard. 

He knew Hank would want him to stay home longer but he had to go back into work. Sure, taking a day or two off was nice but he got restless. He didn't know if he would still be a detective if he wasn't built for it. He loved his job, that wasn't in question.

He nodded his head at the question and finished up eating. It was hard to eat slowly since it was so good. 

It didn't have a thirium aftertaste, but there was still something there that he couldn't identify. He didn't know if that was just something macaroni had or something else.

_ "Yeah you'll see them on Monday. Me too, captain- gotta put those extra hours in before the party." He would single-handedly carry the four of their extra hours if he need to. _

_ "Now now, no need to make threats." Fowler's voice was just a tone lighter, but Gavin still realized he was joking around with him. _

_ "Aw- admit it- the precinct is too quiet with the three-" There was a click and Gavin's grin fell as he silently gasped. "He hung up on me Connor. Wounded!" Gavin's voice started to sound different with the ice pack on and the swelling easing again, but he still laughed softly. _

_ "That taken care of-" he set his phone aside and wrapped himself around Connor. "Lemme know when I can go back to messing with your hair. If you want, you can lay your head on my chest this time?" _

Connor couldn't help but laugh, more stress leaving him. It felt good to laugh like this, mouth happy from the food, warm and cuddled against Gavin. "I could kiss your wounds better." He said, smiling. At the thought he did press a very gentle kiss to Gavin's nose. 

He drank the rest of the thirium before doing exactly what Gavin suggested. He rested his hand on Gavin's leg, his hand glowing. 

"I love you." He mumbled, letting his eyes closed. He felt so warm against Gavin and under the sheets, making him feel tired. He didn't want to sleep though, not yet at least.

_ Hearing the laugh was so damn relieving he couldn't put it into words. "Mmm, maybe later. Right now, let me love you." He resumed what he was doing, gently tugging and pressing, fingers scratching just to massage and let the other experience. Connor's hair was just long enough to twirl around a finger gently. _

_ "I love you too. Want me to talk now, so you won't sleep? Still up for that game I suggested. Just say an age, name, or place." Until the other picked, Gavin hummed softly, no words to the song in his head, just a tune. "Do you know how long til Hank gets here?" He supposed he'd have to put clothes on when he heard the old car pull up the driveway. _

"He should be here within the hour depending on traffic." He wished it was normal for people to purr because he totally would be right now. It just felt so relaxing and he felt himself sag against Gavin. 

"How about age… ten." He said. He started to rub circles again on Gavin's leg. He did enjoy hearing Gavin hum, liking the feel of vibration. 

_ "Alright, so I got an hour to tell you the good ones." The circles were nice, his legs thankfully spared from any of the soreness. They were a good point to focus on, and between his hands and the circles on his leg, he could actually ignore his body pretty well. _

_ "Ten huh- well that was 2012. Ok ok- my birthday. Me, Eli, and mom went out to see The Avengers right- we were both nerds for all that superhero stuff and Eli was I guess doing really well in school and whatever- but the three of us went to Avengers. And wouldn't you know- all these mega-nerds had dressed up, like the characters. There was Iron Man and Hulk and Thor, and the Thor dude picked me and Eli up with mom's permission and everything." _

_ Gavin snickered. "Well when he picked us up, this Loki- he came around and smacked the Thor on the back of the head with his staff. 'You can't just lift random children, even I have more manners than that!' So Thor puts us down right. And the Loki goes- 'Very good-'. Before he can finish- the Hulk comes over and lifts him. Apparently it was a big friend group that dressed up, but me and Eli were howling- the Hulk just going 'puny god' and carrying him into the theater."  _

Connor snorted. Marvel movies were one of the first few movies Hank had him watch. He really enjoyed them, not really sure which one was his favorite. He obviously liked Vision and Ironman, but he also had a soft spot for Spider-Man and Black Widow. As for the villains, Loki was definitely his favorite. He wasn't exactly completely evil though, and he liked that. 

"That's amazing. I have heard of cosplay before. I must admit, it does take a lot of skill." It was also really impressive when the person would sew their own costume. 

He loved being able to hear about Gavin's childhood. He still didn't know much about Hank's either, the man mostly focusing on the now. "That's amazing. Who's your favorite Avenger?"

_ "Yeah- I never could be that nerdy but, I did dress up like a cop until I was fifteen for halloween. And then as- pfft- a fed for parties until I went to academy." He did the second outfit because he was told he looked good in a suit. Scored him his older boyfriend at the time. _

_ At the next question, Gavin snorted softly. "Iron Man or Thor. If we're counting Endgame list, then Iron Man or the magic doctor dude. Fuck what was his name-" He couldn't remember it right now, it having been so long since he saw the movies. "But no I loved Iron Man. I used to joke I was Rhodey and Eli was Tony." Of course Gavin didn't take the main hero role, and that had been a thing since childhood. He knew his place young. _

_ "You?" _

"His name was Doctor Strange. As for my favorite, I'm still unsure. I do enjoy Vision." He thought about it and Kamski was very similar to Tony Stark. 

"Hank told me I'm similar to Captain America, but other than having extra strength I don't see it." Plus he personally thought Captain America was much more attractive than him.

"How about… that maid cafe? You mentioned it when we first got the case." He really did want to know about that case, but of course he wouldn't push.

_ "Right! I loved him- I can't even remember why. He was so snarky and just, had such a badass moment." He did remember Vision, started as Jarvis and became so much more. It kinda fit in a way. "He's smart like you are, I can see why you like him." _

_ "Probably because you're a hero, with a heart of gold, and pretty much a rule-follower. Also-" Just playfully, Gavin looked down Connor's body. "That's America's ass." He joked a bit, laughing silently. _

_ It took Gavin a moment but when he remembered it, he turned very red, the laughing only becoming more intense. "Oh phck the maid cafe. Yeah no- ok so. Back, two years before you came around? We got word through a CI of mine, good guy, little ferrety, anyways- he told me about this maid cafe the gang he was with used as a front. They carefully made their cash parting things. Thirium for red ice gangs. Parts for androids that couldn't go into Cyberlife repair shops. Ammo. Never selling the big thing, just enough of the small thing to get power right?" _

_ Hands still, his smile didn't disappear. "So anyways, I think- well shit I need proof to move in. So I tell Fowler- and he, brilliant and stupid, says to go in and get the job. In a maid cafe. So I do, job first and all that. I get all the gear I need to snoop, and get there- and they are so damn surprised to finally have a guy for the job that wasn't an android- hire me on the spot. Spent two weeks in a maid dress, heels, frills, gloves- I had my ass grabbed so many times- on camera. And my spotter? Fucking Chris. Poor guy couldn't even look at me when he had to come in finally. Needless to say, we did get them- thirium loaded and ammo out the ass." _

_ Gavin grinned then. "Nothing like watching a six foot something guy become so terrified of a five nine man, in a maid dress, pulling off his glove with his mouth and fishing a gun out of the frills." _

He almost died laughing at the America's ass comment. That was definitely one of his favorite moments in the movie and he did have to agree that Captain America had a very nice ass.

"Well, not really a rule-follower. I did break into Cyberlife, deviate, and joined Markus. At the time, all of that was illegal. I'm honestly surprised I haven't been charged with anything." He was glad he wasn't, because he got to keep working.

The idea of Gavin like that shouldn't be as hot as it is. He really hoped Chris got pictures, and he'd definitely ask for them if he did. 

He didn't like that so many people grabbed Gavin's ass. He understood why, as it was a very nice one. It still made him protective, though. 

"I'm glad that you got them, though you shouldn't have to deal with unwanted touching." Yeah, ok, so maybe he was like Captain America. For that he gave Gavin's leg a slight squeeze before continuing the circles. 

_ Gavin chuckled at the other being charged with anything. If he was, Gavin sure as hell would be. "Sometimes the law is fucking stupid." That was all he could say tonight, and it hurt not to say more but Connor had enough to worry about. _

_ He noticed how his voice got a bit protective, and he also didn't have to heart to say it wasn't unwanted. Most of the times sure, but he remembered a couple of guys he got close to, being flirty. Nothing happened except one quick screw after work, but if it happened now- Gavin would likely deck someone. _

_ "Still have the outfit somewhere. Would have to dig it out." It would eventually come in handy, he figured. The squeeze made him squirm a bit, not suspecting it. "Probably would have to loosen it around the waist." _

He did agree that the law could be stupid. He did his best to follow it now, but there were still some areas he didn't agree with. Most of those were android laws, but Markus and the others were hard at work with those.

"That would definitely be... interesting to see. In a good way." Yeah, he definitely wanted to see that. Plus, then he wouldn't have to ask for pictures as it would already be in his memory. 

Connor thought for a moment, "what's the stupidest thing you've ever done? Not in a bad way, but like something silly." 

_ "When I'm cleaning I'll look for it. Send you pictures when I finally find it." He promised, and got back to rubbing Connor's head. He was kinda falling asleep again. _

_ "Phck that's such a long list Con. Like a really long list. Uh. Huh." Gavin had to think for a moment. "Ok- I think the silliest thing I ever did was in academy. It was the month before my class was graduating, I got offered a spot on the DPD, and I decided, in celebration, to take everyone who wanted to a karaoke bar. Still open- it's T's favorite still." He waited, letting the pause set the story up. _

_ "So it ended up being like, oh, twelve other soon-to-be-cops, me, Tina, and some friends of the others right? Like twenty something people in total. In this karaoke bar. And I got fucking smashed. I ended up convincing half of this group to join me, outside, and we went from this bar, about ten minutes to the nearest food place, singing and dancing YMCA. Full volume." _

Connor snorted at the mental image of that. It didn't really surprise him that Gavin managed to convince the other people. "I hope you all got home safe. I've never been to a karaoke bar, Hank had said he'd never go again. Then he wouldn't tell me why." 

He could imagine how excited they all were to get jobs. If it was their dream to become cops it must have been exhilarating. He never had to worry about getting a job or even going to a school for it. 

He checked his stress levels and was glad to see they were much lower than before. He made a note to ask Kamski why androids self destruct when their levels were too high. He himself has never gotten to that point, but he hoped Kamski would have a way to help with that so it never happened. 

"How about Hank? Have any good stories about him?"

_ "He probably has a good number of stories of dumb shit he's done. But Tina will definitely drag you to a karaoke bar one day, don't worry. But yeah, we had two sober sitters to get everyone home and lots of lyfts." He snickered at how many poor drivers had to deal with YMCA on the way home. _

_ "Oh- Yeah I got a couple. I mean, Hank was the DPD dad basically. All of us rookies- we had an issue, ran it by him you know? He'd patch up a couple people when shit went south, make sure everyone was just- good. But being the dad of the whole DPD- there was several times that he would celebrate, aka drive for, a group that got a huge case. I did that once. He drove for me, my partner Davis, and Tina- went with us to this one restaurant." _

_ "I've never seen a guy manage to wear an entire bottle of wine and still grin. Tina was hysteric- so to calm her down, he stuck the glass on top of his head and looked everyone in the eyes and said- 'I think my eyes were bigger than my stomach with that glass'." Gavin snorted a couple times. "Fucking dad joke of the year. Tina lost it, and the man kept going." _

Connor grinned. He had only gotten to meet Hank after Cole had passed so he only started seeing him like that with him. Even then he could sometimes tell it brought up memories. He hoped that one day he'd be ready to do things like that again. 

He'd never called Hank dad, or father before but the urge had been there. It did take Hank quite a bit for him to get Connor to stop calling him Lieutenant even after he started living with him. Plus he didn't want to upset Hank by calling him that. 

He did wonder what happened to make the two not get along. He knew that after Cole died he excessively drank, and his work ethic went down. Maybe something to do with that. He'd ask, but not now. 

"That sounds amazing. I honestly don't know much about Hank other than what was on his file, and about him after Cole. He doesn't share too much, but I think he's starting to." Hank had told him about a few of his interest, which Connor had been so excited about. 

He did wonder what type of drunk he would be if he was human. Some people got goofy, others more affectionate. If Kamski made a way for him to have the same effects he'd be interested to try it out. 

_ "It takes a while to get past losing family, but he cares for you. He'll open up with time." Thankfully Gavin didn't speak from experience. The only family he cared about was Elijah, and at this point Tina practically. Sure his mom- or Eli's mom rather, was alive, but they had their spat too. _

_ Thinking of anything else, he instead had to focus on the alarm that went off on his phone. "Ah finally." He removed the ice pack from his face, and the swelling had went down a good bit already. It definitely had the whole nose a new color, but it didn't look as bad as it did when it broke. And it was straight too, Elijah having set it perfectly, even if that hurt like hell.  _

_ Foundation and primer and it would be fine. "How's your thirium? Do you need more?" He asked, checking the time. They still probably had half an hour or a bit less til Hank got here, so his hands rested. One on the back of Connor's head, and the other searching for Connor's free hand. _

He knew Gavin was right. He also knew that even with humans, some parents didn't share much about their lives in the past. 

He looked at Gavin's face and couldn't help but frown at himself. He knew Gavin could take it, and give it back but that still didn't mean he should have had to. He still looked amazingly handsome though.

He took Gavin's hand, letting the skin pull back. At this point it was natural to do so when he touched Gavin. It felt like even more of a rush when he did. He would be forever grateful that Gavin was ok with it.

"I'll need another bottle and then make sure I don't get too low after that. Are you hungry though? I know you had breakfast but fighting and emotional strain can cause hunger." 

_ Seeing the frown, Gavin pouted not being able to kiss the other from this angle. "Come 'ere so I can kiss that frown off you." He would absolutely start whining at the other if he didn't get to kiss him back to smiling. _

_ At the hand, Gavin rubbed his thumb over the smooth plastic, adoring the glow of blue. He would punch anyone who said shit about it, but he loved doing this. Sure he couldn't interface, but was the intent, the meaning behind the glow, that meant so much to him. "Mm, I'll get you another bottle then when Hank gets here. And yeah I'm a bit hungry, but again, nothing that can't wait til Hank gets here. It's not even noon yet." _

_ He snorted at that, and knew when he did go downstairs, he would also offer to help clean. Deep clean, if the Chloe's hadn't done it, or offer to buy all the girls something for all this. Something he could do- he felt bad he kept annoying his brother. _

He was glad that neither of them had to get up yet. He felt so comfortable under the covers with Gavin. 

Connor nodded before easily maneuvering himself so he was almost laying ontop of Gavin, but held himself up by sitting on his leg. He used his free hand to gently cup Gavin's face. He is extremely careful of Gavin's nose as he kisses him slowly.

The blanket falls down his back, making him shiver slightly. He no longer felt cold from the garden, which he was incredibly grateful for. He did like snow, but the garden's snow seemed different from the real thing.

_ Gavin meant to scoot his head up, but he definitely wasn't objecting to this either, kissing him back just as slowly. He feels how gentle Connor is with him, and it makes him feel warm in a way he'd never get tired of. _

_ Feeling the shiver, Gavin didn't hesitate to reach for the blanket, pulling it up and over Connor's shoulders. Then his arms wrapped around the other's neck. Any other time, this would likely be a heated mess of tongues, they were both naked and needed closeness. Right now though, he couldn't think of anything of that nature. _

_ Just Connor's returning warmth, glowing glow he could faintly see before he closed his eyes- and an idea. "Hey Con- I know you are scared of how it'll look, but- do you want to kiss me without the skin? Would it feel different?" He wasn't trying to start anything, just curious. _

He knew it would feel different, for both of them. His skin would definitely be much softer than his chassis. He could just expose his mouth but that would look even more odd. Plus, he hadn't shown Gavin what he looked like without.

He took a deep breath before closing his eyes and pulling the skin away from his face. He had a small spike of fear before pushing it down. He knew Gavin loved him, even without his artificial skin. 

He opened his eyes slowly, looking for Gavin's reaction. If Gavin didn't seem to like it, he has no problem with that. He would just put the skin back on and go back to kissing him.

_ It was definitely different. There wasn't fear or disgust, just curiosity. Gently, he reached up, and smiling at the lack of hair, still cupped his hands along the top. He ran his hands down, to where the white ended cleanly at skin. Then his hands moved forward, cupping the other's cheek. One thumb dipped to his lip, pressing lightly. _

_ "I think the weirdest thing? I expected your eyelids to be chassis, and I don't know why?" There were little black markings, and Gavin could see a triangle dead square in the middle of his forehead, like a fucking target of where to shoot and that was just unfair. "Wonder if Elijah could get rid of the markings? The Cyberlife ones. If- you want them gone." _

_ Gavin then looked to his eyes and smiled. "Eyes are the same, warm and fucking beautiful. I love your eyes Connor." He leaned up, and took initiative to kiss him, first on his cheek. "Feel different?" _

When Gavin touched him he felt a jolt of electricity. His lips did part when Gavin's thumb touched it and he let out a soft whine. Was his skin glowing where Gavin touched? He'd never seen an android without the skin on their face be touched by someone they love, so this was completely new to him.

He smiled at the comment about his eyelids and couldn't help but agree. "The Cyberlife ones, yeah. That would be nice." He was glad Cyberlife created him, but that didn't forgive them for everything else they had done, including Amanda. He wasn't theirs anymore. 

He was extremely glad that his eyes stayed the same. His eyes were one of the most human things about him. Humans often said that the eyes were the gateway to the soul, and he agreed. They showed so much life, and when they dulled and lost that it was heartbreaking. 

He gasped slightly at the kiss, skin tingling where Gavin's lips had been. "Definitely different, but in a good way. It's like my hands, I can feel more and the emotion response his heightened." 

He did clean down to give Gavin's cheek a kiss as well, liking the feel of Gavin's soft skin under his lips.

_ It did glow, and for a moment the childish idea of trying to trace a heart quick enough to get it complete passed through his head. He had a feeling the fast movement would be a little much right now though, especially as he whined at the simplest touch. "I'll ask him about it. I mean, I've buffed marks out but this is a bit delicate." _

_ Chuckling, he seen the way he lit up at the comments. Felt the gasp, and oh he wanted to see how badly he could distract Connor like this. The kiss to his own cheek was different too. Instead of soft lips, it was a firm press. It wasn't bad. But it didn't get the same reaction, so Gavin leaned back up, kissing his cheek, then jaw. He got the idea to rub his face against Connor's, knowing the stubble would feel- a lot. "Kiss me?" _

_ He wanted to kiss the other, wanted to know how this would feel. His hands slid back, one fingering around his LED and the other cupping his head under his ear, fingertips just lightly pressing in. "Please." _

He did have to grip Gavin's shoulder at the feeling, a low grumble coming out. It didn't exactly sound human, but slightly machine like. It felt really fucking good. Both Gavin's hand and face. He couldn't help it when his eyes fluttered closed for a second. 

He did open them when Gavin made the request. He loosened his grip on his shoulder, instead rubbing circles into Gavin's neck. He was worried that his neck would bruise from the chokehold. 

He leaned down again, gently pressing his lips against Gavin's (which totally glowed too). He let out the low grumble again, as he pressed closer, while still looking for any signs from Gavin that he didn't enjoy this.

_ At the grip, and the noise, Gavin actually turned red. He never heard that noise before, and almost thought he glitched the poor guy. He was so happy to get to do this for the other, and would gladly repeat it more intimately when they were ready. He already had a feeling sucking on his jaw and neck would be very different like this. _

_ At the touch to his neck he inhaled, and there was a red mark around it. No where near his nose bad though, but enough that, for now, someone definitely could guess Gavin got choked out. He didn't seem worried though, instead watching his lips. _

_ Of course they glowed and Gavin let out a happy hum, kissing back enthusiastically. He tilted his head carefully, wanting to spur Connor further, careful of his nose. Tongue flicked out and meet firm plastic, but he didn't shy away. For a moment, he just ran his tongue over the other's lips, curious as hell about this. _

Connor was practically vibrating. He made sure not to hurt Gavin as he pressed closer, moving just slightly so he was sitting on Gavin's thigh. 

His legs were probably the place with the least amount of pain so he didn't feel too bad about placing most of his weight there. 

He let out a whine at Gavin's tongue and felt his thirium pump speed up even more. The rumbling seemed to keep going even when he didn't mean to. 

He could feel the sound in his chest and wondered if this was normal. It wasn't bad, he just didn't know he could make that sound.

_ Feeling the way his shifted his weight to his legs, he was glad the other had to ground himself to not lean into him more. He was acutely reminded they were wearing nothing, in Eli's bed, and there were so many things he could do to change the mood. But his hands stayed where they were. _

_ Instead he focused on the whine and the- purr? Was Connor purring? He absolutely was! Gavin smiled, finding the rumbling adorable, and hummed back to him. He pushed it a step further and shifted to bite the firm bottom lip, quickly soothing it with his tongue and then repeating the action. He had to breathe though, and pulled away just enough to do so. "You're so fucking cute. Fucking hell, you are so damn cute it hurts Connor- my face is going to get stuck in this stupid grin." _

_ Hands moved and then Gavin heard the car pulling up. Shit- he forgot about Hank coming. "Phck, I don't wanna moooove." That was a whine, Gavin pushing in for another kiss before Connor put his skin back on- as weird a sentence that was. _

Connor had to stop his hips from moving at the bite, moaning into it. "Fuck," they were definitely going to do this again. Once they had more privacy, and in their own bed, Connor thought he could maybe come just from this. 

He was glad Hank was here but he didn't want to stop. He kissed Gavin again before putting his skin back on. "I don't either, but you should at least put some clothes on before Hank comes up." 

Plus he definitely needed more thirium and Gavin needed food. All he wanted to do though was keep kissing him and staying in bed the rest of the day. 

_ Pouting at the reason, he watched the skin come back, and moved his hand to fuck up the other's hair. "You know, dating me, you're gonna have to get hair gel or handcuffs. This is so damn relaxing." He played a bit but then pulled away. _

_ Sitting up was- bad idea. He tried to hide it, but there was a hard wince at bending and putting weight on his ass. "Hank's lucky I respect him, or I'd just wrap a blanket around myself and call that clothes." He moved for another kiss, and then actually reached for the clothes. _

_ "Up up, I have boxers to put on. Hank's bringing you clothes right?" The shirt would barely fit Connor and Connor didn't need tight clothes right now. He pulled on his pants then debated the shirt honestly. On one hand, Hank would see- everything. On the other hand, that shirt would rub his skin and the only touch he could stand was Connor's. _

"We both already have handcuffs, though you certainly have more." He teased. Of course he noticed the wince and felt slightly bad. He knew that fighting probably made it worse than it already was. The rumbling died out without Connor doing anything. It was like he couldn't control it, but he really didn't mind.

He knew Gavin liked pain but he didn't sign up for being punched in the face and having to fight his own boyfriend before he could get a gun. Ok, yeah that sentence was definitely weird. 

He moved off of Gavin and sat completely upright on the bed, making sure he was covered. "He is, hopefully nothing too tight." He also saw Gavin's hesitance to put a shirt on. He couldn't blame him, his skin was probably really sensitive currently. 

"You don't have to put a shirt on. Hank might give us shit, but I'd rather that than you be in pain."

_ "Damn right I do. Got a new pair my boyfriend gave me, they're so damn cute." He reminded Connor they had a lot to look forward to. Nothing would change beside Gavin proving he would do anything he could to remind the other- Connor was just Connor now. _

_ Clothed and told he wouldn't need his shirt, he didn't bother with it then, instead moving to snuggle under the other's arm. He pulled the blankets up and around them, cocooning them in the blankets until Hank got up here. "I don't mind if he gives us shit, I just didn't want to embarrass you on top of all this ya know. Or end up pissing him off." _

_ He moved to hold onto Connor, missing the cute purr already. "Think after you get a drink and I eat, we can just- sleep? Just for a bit. I've been wanting to sleep since the shower." He was more tired after all the affection, feeling safe again and warm. "Actually- I'll have Eli come up with the memory program first, then uh sleep. Just to make sure you don't go into that nightmare again." _

Connor felt himself blush and he just grinned proudly. He pulled Gavin close and pressed a kiss to his temple. 

"I don't think he'd actually get pissed off. He knows that I am very happy with you and he has told me that he just wants me to be happy." Hank had asked him if he still wanted to be a detective after the revolution. He had told him that it was ok if he didn't, that he should just be happy. 

Sleeping did sound really good. Sleeping curled up with Gavin and possibly dreaming sounded amazing. "I'd like that. I think we both need the rest." 

Just then there was a knock at the door. "Come in," Connor called out. 

The door opened and Hank stepped in, carrying a bag. He did look over Connor before sighing in relief. "Jesus Christ, Connor. You almost gave me a heart attack. You both ok?" He did notice the redness of Gavin's neck, and his nose. He also noticed other things but he was definitely not going to think about that.

_ "I love you too- I just worry." And that was true- Gavin worried about everything, all the damn time. What people thought of him, what they knew. Only because of Connor did he try to worry less about his appearance, but he knew he would go right back to jacket on top of hoodie the days he felt too insecure. _

_ He didn't let his head so there though, and instead chuckled at the rest part. "Yeah that's an understatement." The knock made him jump- Elijah and the girls never knocked in their own house, you just had to be ready. Looking over, Gavin was glad the other stayed quiet on what he seen. _

_ He blinked at the 'both', then shrugged. "Doing better. You two wanna catch up and I'll go grab that thirium? Hank, you want anything to drink or something?" Hank. He dared say just Hank, looking away from him as he stood. There was instant regret as he was cold as fuck, and he remembered steps being a thing, but this was something he could and would do. _

_ He turned to Connor then, pulling the blanket around him more so. "Any flavor you want in specific?" _

"Water please. I would say alcohol but this one might rip my head off" Hank joked. Connor cringed staring at his hands. "Fuck, shit. Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. Sorry, Connor."

"It's alright. Anything is fine for me." He did grab Gavin's hand a place a kiss, smiling at him. 

"You two are disgustingly sappy." Though it was really nice to see Connor so happy. He honestly didn't expect this when the two had first met, but was happy it did.

Hank tossed the bag at Connor, who caught it and pulled out the clothes. They were some of his softest pajamas that he owned and he was really glad for that. 

_ Hank was very lucky Gavin was too sore to move quickly, or he would've bunched up like a feral cat at the comment. Hank or not. Instead he hugged the other with the hand he didn't have. "Water right. And I'll ask the girls which one's the best." _

_ He pulled away then, and shrugged at the sappy content. "Sometimes it's needed. Can't always be the hardass prick Hank, gets too boring." He grinned then, and went over to the door. "I'll be right back." He assured, and slipped out the room. _

_ Heading downstairs was an experience. Both the going down the steps, Gavin holding onto the railing as he did so, and getting to the bottom of the steps. He wouldn't get to help clean- the girls had effectively wiped through here like a damn cleaning tornado. _

_ Regretting the lack of shirt now, he slipped into the kitchen, glad Elijah wasn't there but at the same time, that meant he had to move more. Instead there was a couple girls, one of them being the one Gavin remembered the arm being off of. She looked just fine now, and looked over seeing Gavin. Making small talk while one of you was trying hard not to look at the rope marks- or nose- was fun. _

_ But he got the water, some snack bars from the blonde, and another bottle of thirium- strawberry flavored- to take up. "You sure you don't need help?" Gavin nodded, then looked around. _

_ "Do you guys need any help? Does Elijah? I have to ask him about that memory visit thing anyways." She shook her head and chuckled, shooing him. _

_ "No no. Get going. He's down in the lab, I've alerted him you're coming down." Nodding back, he thanked her and headed back down to the lab. _

_ There was a pause as he looked to the rig. Self-doubt curled in his chest, but Elijah's voice shook him out of the thoughts before he could focus on them. "It's on the USB. He should be able to download it and install during his next stasis." _

_ "You need anything?" _

_ "Yeah- but not right now. I'll call you sometime next week." Gavin smiled, nodding. _

_ "Sure thing." _

_ Heading back upstairs with everything, he knocked with the side of his head, gently to not irritate his nose. "One of you two get the door, my hands are full." _

Hank turned away so Connor could get dressed then sat down on the edge. "Seriously, are you alright?" He asks. Connor does crawl over, sitting beside Hank, criss cross. 

"I am. It's still...scary. she took over and I could barely do anything. I felt everything. She knew Kamski had a gun and was going for it. I hurt a few Chloes, but nothing too bad. I… I almost killed Gavin." He feels himself start tearing up again as Hank puts his arm around him.

Connor let's his head rest on Hank's shoulder, trembling slightly. "Well, he's fine. You both are ok. And you said Kamski made sure Amanda is completely gone." 

He knew this but that didn't take away the fear. It didn't take away the guilt. "I know. Thank you for coming." 

"Of course! I'll always be here for you Connor." Hank mumbled, smiling slightly. 

"I know, but you didn't have to. You didn't have to let me stay with you. So, thank you… Dad." Connor managed to get out before looking away. 

He felt Hank stiffen and was about to apologize before Hank pulling him into a tight hug. He felt Hank start shaking and knew he was crying. This just made him cry even more, hugging back. 

When they pulled back Hank had to wipe his eyes, but playfully ruffled his hair. It was already a mess so he didn't even try to fix it. They sat together, with Hank's arm around Connor's shoulder as he leaned against him.

Connor felt himself drifting off before heading the knock. He went to get up, but Hank beat him to it, getting to the door and opening it.

_ "Many thanks-" He went past, setting down the thirium and water. "I uh, didn't want to cook anything and it's not even lunch yet, so one of the girls I talked to give me snack bars. I mean, it's something healthy at least." He pulled those out of the pockets and set them down too. _

_ Grabbing the USB, he handed it to Connor. "The program- E said you should be able to download it and then install it during stasis. Um." He looked between Hank and Connor, wondering if he should ask about getting back into his spot on the bed, or moving to another room. _

_ He made up his mind, grabbing a snack bar and heading to the other side of the bed to get under the blanket. "Sorry I'm not too energetic- kinda just wanna sleep." That was mostly directed at Hank, Gavin carefully laying on his back. He wondered if he should put ice on his nose again. _

Hank gladly picked up the water and chugged it. "Thanks Reed." Yeah, still not calling him Gavin, but he'd get there. "Take care of him or I'll shoot your ass." He says, pointing at Gavin. 

Connor couldn't help but snort. He wanted to make a comment on that, but held back. He didn't want to scar Hank for life. 

"I'll be here, I'm not leaving until you do Connor." He didn't know what he'd do in the meantime, but he'd find something. 

Connor took the thirium and drank most of it, humming happily at the taste. Once he did he crawled back under the covers, neck to Gavin. "We're gonna take a nap, but I'll let you know when we get up, Dad." Hank seemed to tear up again just slightly before smiling.

He took the USB and reached behind to touch his neck. A small panel opened and he found the place before plugging it in. 

"Alright, sleep well." Hank says, nodding at the two before going to the door.

_ Just humming in response, he wasn't going to say that was all he had been doing. He simply agreed. "You and everyone else at the precinct, I know." He waited to wrap his arm around Connor, just holding onto him. _

_ "If you head downstairs, I'm sure you'll get at least three of the girls trying to convince you into watching a movie. Introduce them to a classic, you have expertise in that." Light teasing of course, he wouldn't be Gavin without it. Then his focus was purely on Connor, watching the USB and his LED. _

_ He finished the snack bar and threw the wrapper towards the trash can, thankfully getting it in this time. _

"Alright, that sounds like a good plan." Hank nodded but he did give a playful glare to Gavin before leaving the room. 

Connor stays sitting upright as he downloads the information, eyes fluttering quickly. That was honestly one of the weirdest looking things androids did, but oh well. It didn't stop after deviancy. 

He did feel a bit more exposed with his neck open like that, but he didn't mind. He trusted Gavin. He also didn't feel the need to worry about if there was anything dangerous hiding in the new coding since it came directly from Kamski. 

Once he had downloaded everything he took the drive out, gently closing his neck again, the skin going back into place around it. 

He did get a few notifications telling him what the new coding would do and how to install it. He didn't have to go into a deep stasis for it. 

He set the drive down on the table before laying down, pulling Gavin close. "I'll be going into stasis, but wake me up if you wake up earlier, ok? I love you." 

``Stasis activated, entering in two minutes``

"Sleep well, Gavin."


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Normal  
> Lupo: Italicized  
> Text message: Underlined

_ Gavin kept a careful eye on Connor, rubbing his back when he sat up. That definitely scared him a little- only because he was worried the other was broken every damn time. But besides that, he was all too happy to put his arms around the other again. _

_ "Will do babe. I love you too, so much. Get some rest, and you wake me up if anything goes wrong." Gavin leaned up, kissing the other briefly. Then he carefully pulled back, not wanting to bump his nose in his sleep. _

_ When they did both wake up, one waiting for the other, Gavin was able to put a shirt on. He used his phone to play something Connor and Hank would like, quietly, as Hank came back up. Pitching the idea to Hank to tell Connor some of their best case stories, keep him distracted, he was happy to spend the rest of the night like that. Of course they had to leave eventually, Gavin going around and picking up everything. Connor's old clothes in a bag, and his as well, he lead the two out. Only stopping when Elijah came up, Gavin promising to call next week and help be his pinboard. And then reassuring this meant Eli was going to through ideas at him, and Gavin was going to throw them back, flaws and things to be perfected. _

_ They went in separate cars, Gavin understanding Hank and Connor were tired, and while he didn't want to leave the other's side- he knew Hank wouldn't do so either. "Get home safe- call if you need anything!" He called out, and then waited for his own ride. _

_ Gavin would like to say work was something, but it wasn't. He woke up that morning feeling shitty, anxious, a wreck. He didn't sleep well, and he didn't want to waste time so he didn't head over to Hank's first to see Connor. Simply a text, wishing him a good day. Telling to rest- he loves him. He got up early enough to shower and eat properly, and made sure to ice his nose again. The rest of his time was spent gently pressing primer and foundation onto his face. He didn't want to worry anyone, so he covered the marks on his face and nose, and threw on his hoodie and jacket combo. _

_ He spent the rest of the day doing paperwork, assuring Fowler he was fine, and carefully avoiding Tina's hugs. He of course sent Connor a message every so often. 'We had a teen come in listening to nightcore and it's still horrible.' and 'Is Sumo being cute?', just random things he thought of to see the other talk. By the end of the day he was really too tired to head over to Hank's and deal with anyone. _

_ I'm just gonna head home tonight, doing some cleaning tomorrow so I'ma grab the supplies. Tina says she's excited to see you Monday.  _ _ He attached a selfie to it, standing outside the car with a smile and Tina by his side, waving. _

_ He didn't head straight home, instead going to get the cleaning supplies and a couple bottles of vodka. Hey, if he was spending the day cleaning and alone, it was going to be productive. _

Connor texted Gavin throughout the day, sending a few selfies, but almost all had Sumo in it. Hank and him spent the days talking and relaxing. 

He heard a lot about Hank's past, and he gladly listened. He learned that Hank use to play chess with his mother. He also told Connor about how he used to play dungeons & dragons but hadn't been able to in a really long time. Of course Connor suggested that they play together as he'd never done it before. 

Hank talked about his academy days and how proud he was when he graduated top of his class. He learned about the red ice case and how after that everything went to shit. Hank even talked about Cole somewhat, though it was very brief. 

Connor smiled at the picture and saved it. Tina had his number too, so he did send a message to her. He also asked what he could get her for her birthday but she just said alcohol and him to not fuck Gavin infront of everyone. He could do both, but he sent back a thinking face emoji and a maybe. 

Connor made Hank dinner, even though he threatened to chop his arms off because ‘he was supposed to be relaxing’. He also ended up baking bread, which Hank seemed to enjoy. 

Once it was late they both went to bed. Good night, Gavin. I love you. Connor decided to try out dreaming, but picked something really simple. It was going to be a large space with grass all around. Sumo would be there, running with him, as would Gavin. Hank was also there, but he mainly stood by the side and watched on, sometimes throwing a ball for Sumo. Other than when he slept with Gavin it was one of the best sleeps he’s ever had.

_ Sunday morning came and Gavin still woke up absurdly early. He always did the first day of a weekend he took off, but it still was just as annoying. Getting up and showering, he took care of shaving and looked at his nose. Making sure it was healing right, the swelling was going down a bit. Hurt like a bitch, but it would for the first week. He went into the kitchen, made breakfast, and switched into old sweats and a tanktop. _

_ Playing music as he made food, he ate with his cats. It wasn't long til he did everything besides clean, even working out on his machine for an hour. Eventually it was around an hour before noon before he decided he might as well get started. Finally sending Connor a 'morning- finally getting around to cleaning', he grabbed a bottle, debating on a glass but it would be less of a mess. _

_ First thing's first- the blood. He couldn't see it, not know, but he knew there were spots on these walls. If he focused enough, he could imagine the large spot where he'd been elbow deep twice in some body, blue everywhere. Bucket full of cleaners and gloves on, he ramped up the sound of the rock music to carry through the whole apartment. Then he twisted open the bottle of vodka and chugged, trying to force himself over the burn, and got to work. The walls were first, all the furniture in the room still covering the windows like it was. _

_ It took a bit over an hour for that alone, unsure of where all people had leaned. That, and he had dipped in and out of different flashes and memories, taking a drink for each. His face was a new mess, he lost it a bit in the beginning. By the time all the walls were cleaned, half a bottle was gone, and he felt a little less- anywhere. Not numb yet, he could still think, still be scared, still remember. But he stopped crying some twenty minutes ago. The music switched to 'Light' and he sang along, setting it to repeat a couple times while he got ready to start on the floor. _

The morning was pretty normal, Hank getting up a bit later than Connor had. They eat breakfast together, Connor eating the food Kamski had given him the first time they visited. 

Connor went about his morning routine, checking on his plants, and walking Sumo. His herbs were slowly starting to grow and one even had a leaf. 

Sumo's walk was uneventful, but calm. It was a pretty good day out so he let himself take his time. He even stopped a few times to pet other dogs he passed on the way.

When he got the text from Gavin he was home, watching some show Hank had loved as a kid. After a bit he sent a selfie of him and Sumo. No response. That was odd, but Gavin had said he was cleaning. 

A little bit later he sent another text, still nothing. "What's going on in that head? Your thingy is yellow." Hank says, bringing him out of his thoughts. 

"It's Gavin. He said he was cleaning but I sent two messages and he hasn't replied, and he hasn't even looked at them." If this was a normal day, nothing emotionally straining he wouldn't be as worried as he is. 

"Has…has he talked about what happened? Gotten upset?" Hank questions, pausing the show. 

Connor hums and thinks, shaking his head. "Not really, no. Do you think something is wrong?" 

"And he's alone right now?"

"Yes, Hank what are you thinking?" 

"Call him." Connor does and it goes to voicemail. 

"He didn't pick up. Dad, please tell me what you're thinking." Connor says, completely stiff. 

"Fuck. Alright, so he's like me. Doesn't talk about shit. He's probably self-destructive too or whatever the fuck my therapist said. You should get over there and check on him." Hank sighs, shaking his head. 

Connor nods and stands, quickly putting his shoes on. Hank tossed him his keys as he is at the door and he leaves quickly. He sends a text to Gavin letting him know he's on his way before starting the car.

_ The floor was- a lot harder. The cleaning stuff turned the suds purple when they were cleaning away thirium- it was supposed to fade to white when it was clean. Gavin knew of three spots to hit, but the first one alone took minutes of scrubbing just to start turning white. He got annoyed, trying to remember who sat here and the annoyance melted into a hollowness. Another drink, and Gavin finished the first spot, looking to where he knew the other two were. _

_ He felt a good bit sore- working out didn't help at all on that aspect. It was routine, sure, and he felt better for it, but maybe recovering was a better idea. And he knew all the sitting and scrubbing wasn't helping, but he picked up the bottle and couldn't care too much. Wouldn't feel much soon, taking another drink and movement. Doa walked over, mewling, and Gavin shoo'd her. "No no- ohphck- no need to get- you in here- you'll lick something you idiot." Doa hissed and then went to the living room. _

_ When Connor got to Gavin's floor, you could faintly hear the music from the man's door. Doa heard him coming and mewled, heading to the door and pawing at it, becoming very vocal to get attention. _

Connor got to Gavin's as fast as he could without going over the speed limit. He was going to take the elevator, but there were already people going in and it would just take too long. He'd use the stairs. He took them three at a time, never slowing until he finally reached the top. 

He heard the music and slowled just slightly. Maybe Gavin hadn't heard the notifications over the music. He could just be being paranoid, right?

He heard a cat scratching at the door and knocked, before opening it. If something was wrong he wasn't going to just wait. If there was nothing wrong he could just easily explain it. 

He got it and gave Doa a smile before looking around. He followed the music and had to stop at the spare bedroom's doorway. 

Gavin was on the ground, seeming to be cleaning. There was a full bottle of alcohol on the dresser and Gavin had a bottle that was close to empty. 

He could see old stains of blood blood and it made his heart stop. He spotted a few LEDs and he didn't know what to think.

It honestly looked like a murder crime scene. Perhaps it was. But Gavin was cool with androids now. He had to be. There was no way he'd do...this. No, no he had to trust that Gavin had a reason. There had to be a good explanation. 

He couldn't help but take a step back, ready to move away if need be. He hated thinking like this, thinking of Gavin like this, but it was in his coding. 

"Gavin? What's, what is this?" He asks loud enough to be heard over the music. 

_ Doa was loud seeing Connor, pawing at his pant legs. She of course followed, staying behind Connor's legs until the other paused and backed up. That got the cat to bristle, and she head butt his leg before she walked into the room again. _

_ Gavin did jump, hearing the voice and he looked over. Not gone enough to not feel the fear that wrapped around his chest at seeing the other, not here enough to realize why he was here. That he wasn't the deviant hunter who found out Gavin was holding deviants. That cleared up a bit because of Doa though, looking down to her. Doa had come over and rubbed against him, going to the bottle to try and tip it over. He picked the bottle up and felt his head clear enough to remember when he was. He couldn't look up to Connor though. "Well, I uh..." _

_ He paused as thinking of it brought up a memory again. "You know my problem never was with androids, right? Fuck, not how to start this- I- phck." He trusted Connor. He did. Connor wasn't the deviant hunter, and even though the flood gates that let out all the fear from the day before were wide open, he still trusted the other. _

_ "You're not going to believe me anyways. I ran an android ER- safe place- gathering- I don't know what to fucking call it- during the revolution. After you knocked me out and ran for Jericho. Thought you were-" Going to kill all of them, went unsaid. "Lots of androids, over thirty, the entirety of this building's android residents actually- in one apartment. Had to patch them up, keep them safe. Had to watch one die- didn't have the parts- not in time." He shook, speaking through the haze and then his eyes went a bit far away. Lost in another memory, coming back with a jerk and a tightening of his hand around the bottle. Another drink. _

Connor took in the words and willed himself to completely believe them. Gavin wouldn't murder anyone. He just wouldn't. He knew what Gavin left out and it made him cringe. 

He was. He planned on killing every single deviant he could find, even if he had had to do so alone. He was lucky that he went after Markus first. Markus was able to talk him into deviancy. He knew he was harder to push into it, he was built to resist it.

Then it made sense. He never really understood why Gavin had tried to stop him. Spite maybe. But it didn't add up. Why he would try to stop the man that was going to take down the revolution single handedly. 

Gavin was protecting the androids.it made his heart clench with even more love. 

He noticed how intoxicated, so he took careful steps forward. He had experience with this because of Hank but everyone was different. 

"I'm sure you did everything you could. Can I take that bottle?" He asked, crouching down. 

_ Gavin blinked, looking to him with squinted eyes, confusion on his face as his head- it didn't clear, persay. It made room for the dumbest fact to slip through. "You can't get drunk?" Gavin still took another drink, handing it over. "I got 'nother bottle. And I did- I-" Gavin looked back to the floor, picking up the scrub brush and his hands were shaking as he clutched it now. _

_ Any other time he would've held back the tears but he didn't even realize he was crying for a moment. "Phcking- didn't have enough thirium. Didn't think I'd see so much gone and everywhere- outside, in here, the hallway..." Gavin went quiet, his voice barely above a whisper.  _

_ "The firing squads- phck whatever bullshit names they called them- they were on the streets- rounding up people. Heard it on the radio. Heard-" Now he missed the bottle, looking over to the fact Connor had it. "Forgot how- how it- we- could be. Realized that as the night went by, there were so many people I couldn't help. More people- there was a kid Connor. A kid... So scared. I-" And he was gone again, faraway in his eyes and tense in his muscles. _

"Gavin, sweetie, look at me," He says, reaching forward to touch his chin just slightly. "You did so well, and I'm so proud of you. I know that you did everything you could. You save so many people." He kept his voice as calm and soothing as he could. 

He gently took the brush away, setting it on the floor behind him. "Gavin, I'm going to need to take that bottle, alright? I'll make sure nothing spills, but you've had quite alot. You don't want to drink it all in one go and waste it for you?" This reasoning always worked on Hank and he hoped it would do the same for Gavin.

He didn't see how humans could like alcohol so much. It fucked with their liver, they could die from it, and it had reactions to their emotions. 

"Gavin, can I touch you?" He didn't want to send him deeper into this spiral if touching triggered him.

_ It was hard to look at him, he barely wanted to lift his head up. The praise didn't register like it would've, Gavin just reacting to the words and looking down. Moving away the brush caused more protesting than anything- Gavin reached for it with a determined look. "Helps keep me from remembering- no- feeling- very numb but not enough. Tastes like fingernail polish but it works quick." _

_ He would've made himself sick if Connor hadn't shown up, but he wasn't combative. "Gotta clean. I don't- don't want to get fired- don't want to ruin Tina's party- don't want to feel this anymore." He tapped his chest but then looked up to Connor. _

_ "I'm covered I'm-" Pausing he looked to himself and then shook his head. "Not covered- hands wet. If you want." He sounded pretty out of it. "Nothing hurts but I'm still... Seeing everything you know. Connor I'm sorry- I was so scared if you knew- at first- you'd have to turn me in I mean- I resisted a direct order from heads higher than both of ours. Then worried if you knew you wouldn't believe me- I didn't- I couldn't find a time to talk about this that seemed right... The case reminded me of it- the girls bodies- everything every damn time- I couldn't stop seeing the ones I drove past." _

He completely understands. When he marched the androids out he had seen the bodies. They were just laying on the ground, bullets covering them. Some had died from blood loss as the shooters weren't merciful enough to even shoot them in the head. It hurt at the time but he had pushed past it, focusing on getting to Markus to help.

He eventually broke once he could and it wasn't pretty. No one except the main Jericho crew was there, and they didn't know what to do at first. Simon had sat down beside him and just held him as he cried. North didn't get too close, still afraid of him. Josh looked a bit awkward and Markus had crouched down in front of him and talked to him softly. He knew they all felt what he was feeling. His was just more of an outburst as he only just turned deviant.

He pulled Gavin into a hug, and took the bottle as he did. "Gavin, you aren't going to be fired. I'm not turning you in. You did the right thing." He would definitely talk more about this once Gavin was sober.

"You are not going to ruin anything. I need to get you to bed. Once you are sober then you can clean to your heart's content. I'll stay here with you." That was a small lie. Once Gavin was sleeping off the alcohol he'd clean the room for him. 

"You can cuddle up with Doa and when you wake up I'll be right there. If you want to talk more, then we can, but if not you don't have to. The alcohol isn't helping you right now to think clearly." He tried to make each sentence as clear as possible as he held Gavin.

_ Leaning into the other, he shook again and then turned to actually hug back. The contact had him just break, a quick huff of air as he hid his face the best he could. "I'm sorry I didn't- didn't tell you Connor. I was going to, I swear, I was going to I couldn't find the time- I didn't want to acknowledge this- didn't want to break- like this- between the cases and the fresh pain and then I just kept... Putting it off-" He definitely appreciated the contact now, unable to feel the pain he used to have. _

_ Doa, hearing her name, came up to them, rubbing against them both and wiggling herself between them. It forced Gavin to pull away, and he started to reach for his eyes to rub them, gloves still very much on and covered is soap water. Thankfully Doa caught him, swatting his elbow and he yipped. "Hey motherfucker, none of that." He looked to his hands, mumbling 'the phck do I have gloves for?' and then looked up.  _

_ "Alcohol isn't helping me do anything clearly." He smarted back, then just dropped his hands, confusion at several things but unable to piece together which one was important, if any. "I'm hardly drunk- not even a whole bottle yet. Only drunk when I pass out..." Looking for his phone, still playing the same song, he huffed seeing it over by the other bottle. _

"It's ok, Gavin. You are drunk and you need to sleep. I'll get your phone and then I'll help you to your room alright?" Connor stands and puts the bottle on the dresser besides the other and grabs Gavin's phone. 

He turns the sound down, before turning the music off. He walks back over and crouches down again, before pulling Gavin up.

He was easy to lift to his feet, putting his arm around Gavin to keep him stable. "Alright, we're going to head to your room now." He starts walking, keeping the pace slow. He looks back to make sure Doa is following before leading Gavin out of the room. 

Hank had resisted things like this multiple times, so he had gotten good at dragging people to bed. 

_ There was a pause as Gavin thought hard about something. "It's not night time though?" Gavin wasn't going to protest the music being turned down, humming the song until it was turned off. "I love that song you know. Was gonna sing it to calm down yesterday but- uh. Can't remember why I didn't. Think it might've been too hard to remember." _

_ Getting up he didn't even wince this time, just leaning against the other as his legs felt like jelly. "Why do I need to sleep. Could've kept going. Don't feel much now." It was true, now that he wasn't in the room he wasn't elsewhere. He was just- numb and floating. It was a pretty good feeling, if he wasn't afraid of it. To go from feeling so much to feeling near nothing, it was odd. _

_ He did, despite his words, try to help walk, though it was a very piss poor attempt at walking. He had been crawling around before this. He was aware enough to shake his head. "I don't think I would've been able to move everything back. Would've passed out." They got into his room and Gavin let himself be led to the bed. _

_ "Are you- staying? Please don't leave- please." The idea caused his everything to tense and he reached out for Connor. "I'll talk just don't- leave." He already forgot Connor said he would stay, worry worming through the void. Doa hopped onto the bed, mewling at Connor then laying at the bottom. She knew she shouldn't be on the bed, she still got on it. _

Connor sat him down, pulling the gloves off. After that he pulled back the covers and helped Gavin in. "I'm not going to leave. You don't have to talk. I need you to sleep so you can feel better." 

He took Gavin's hand and felt for the small, hollow space under Gavin's palm on his pinky side. He gently applied pressure in a circular or up-and-down movement for 2 to 3 minutes. He then pressed down the left side of the point (palm facing) with gentle pressure for a few seconds, and then held the right side (back-of-hand facing). He repeated on the same area of Gavin's other wrist.

He hummed a random slow song as he did this.

On Gavin's right hand, palm facing up, he counted three finger-widths down from his wrist crease. With his thumb, he applied a steady downward pressure between the two tendons. He massaged in circular motion until he felt Gavin's muscles relax.

These were techniques that would help Gavin fall asleep, and make it a deep, restful sleep. Once he finished he carded his hand through Gavin's hair. "Do you think you can sleep, for me?" He asks quietly.

_ As soon as the other confirmed he'd stay, all the the fight left again, and he got in without much struggle. The massage to his hands was pretty relaxing, and Connor was touching him and humming. Head completely empty, he didn't have even a thought to ask why Connor was doing this. _

_ All he knew was he definitely felt tired. "Mmf, yeah. Yeah just, you hum nicely. Hands feel nice. Connor I'm sorry you had to- see me like this." He felt a bit upset Connor actually caught him drinking to get drunk. It wasn't something he let people in on, but couldn't remember why. His eyes were closing before he could think of it too much. "Love you so much." That definitely didn't change. Had anyone else interrupted, Gavin would've fought like hell. _

Connor smiled and pressed a kiss to Gavin's forehead, holding his hand gently. "I love you too. I don't mind, just means I get to take care of you." 

He knew Gavin would sleep for a bit, hopefully at least two hours. He didn't know how fast his body would be able to sober up, but he hoped it was quick. 

Once Gavin was definitely asleep he stood up and gently let go of his hand. He found a bucket and put it beside the bed, just in case. 

He left Gavin's door open as he went back into the spare room to clean. First he grabbed both bottles and brought them to the kitch.

He did have the advantage of being able to see the evaporated thirium and he started with that. He also sent a text to Hank letting him know he'd be with Gavin for awhile. 

His brain unhelpfully tried to recreate what happened, but he pushed it away, letting his mind go somewhat blank. Once the spots where all the blood was clean he started picking up around the room. 

It was easy work, and he would have enjoyed it more if Gavin had been fine. He pushed that aside though, and quickly finished up. 

Once done he went to the kitchen and started to make a simple soup that Gavin could eat once he woke up. He'd need the food, and the soup would be easy on his stomach. 

He did check in on Gavin every now and then, before making sure everywhere else was clean. He didn't want Gavin to have to worry about anything when he woke up. 

He grabbed some water and pain meds and brought them to Gavin's room, setting them on the table. He had set the soup to the lowest setting so it would stay warm. 

He climbed into bed and sat down next to Gavin, running his hands through the other's hair. 

_ It took a bit of messing with his hair to wake him, and he woke with a loud groan. A soft thumping in the back of his head, he wondered briefly why he woke up with a headache. Wasn't normal, unless there was a bad case, but then he registered the hand and- oh right. "Phck." He cursed lowly, reaching up for the hand to stop it, just pressing it onto the top of his head. _

_ "Guess that wasn't just a figment of a very drunk Gavin's imagination. Hey Con." He sat up, and oh- feeling his body wasn't fun. The pain in his hips was long since gone, his neck and chest were a dull ache- the marks too light to be seen by anyone who wasn't scanning him. But his face and now the headache, this- he felt. "Shit- I must've scared you. You good?" He looked over, noticing the water and pain meds. _

_ Doa, proud and never moving from her watch over Gavin, finally made herself known with a mewl and Gavin looked over. "Tattletail," he excused with a grin, knowing she- probably- didn't tell on him. He swat at her, and she jumped down, waiting by the door. "Phck- Today could've went- better." _

"Hey. Definitely not your imagination. I'm fine, cleaned the rest up for you. I also made some soup if you want it." He reached over and grabbed the meds and water, handing them to Gavin.

"It definitely could have. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I did get worried after you didn't reply and Hank was the one that suggested I come check on you. You two react to emotional stress very similarly." He smiled at Doa before focusing back on Gavin. 

_ Connor really was too good for him. He tried to think of everything he admitted to so far, and winced as he only gave Connor bits and pieces. Probably the scare of a life time too. "You know, all the guys in the world, and you pick me. Still a wild concept, though I'm glad for it." _

_ He took the meds, hating that he actually had a headache this time. Then again, he woke up and he didn't feel numb like normally did after plastering on vodka. He didn't pass out either. It was a weird experience. "Thanks- and no I- I do wanna talk about it. Didn't want to start that way that's for sure." He looked over at the comment of Hank and him being similar. "Cheap solution to problems that take too long to fix. Only difference is I try not to react and-" He shut up then, filter definitely back in it's proper place. _

_ "And I'm a bit of an idiot. But serious, if you want to talk about this- might as well while the bottle's open." He grinned at the joke, moving to face Connor fully. "It will honestly explain uh- a lot of things... Things I've apologized for and things I haven't said sorry for yet." _

He would pick Gavin every day of the week. He didn't know why Gavin picked him. They would probably stay dumbasses for the rest of their lives. 

He took Gavin's hand, just holding it in his own. "I figured out a few things from what you said, but not everything." Plus, it would probably help Gavin to talk about it. Talking did help, that's why therapy exists. 

Was there therapy for androids? If not then there probably would be soon. God knows they all need it.

"Maybe start from the beginning?" He suggests. It would probably be easier that way so the timeline doesn't get jumbled. 

_ There was an inhale through his teeth, Gavin's head rolling despite the ache in his neck. "Gotta decide where the beginning is. I guess- the beginning of androids is pretty far back start huh?" Gavin moved, pushing Connor and settling in his lap, wanting close to the other. _

_ "Not gonna- actually start there. But uh, phck. You better lock this memory somewhere Con cause if any of this gets out, I'm deeper in shit than a farmer." A short laugh followed that statement, and the hand not being held rested on the back of his neck. "But going back that far- I always knew deviants would exist. So did Eli. Of course Eli couldn't say shit- Chloe was the first deviant we knew of, but there's a high possibility that- RA9 or whomever- deviated before her. She didn't start breaking her programming til about two months in." _

_ Gavin grinned, looking up to Connor. "She picked Elijah up and forced him into bed. Sat on his chest til he promised to sleep. But yeah, after her there was others. Audrey- couple Tracis- couple household models. No one had hit levels of- concern. No one had a reason to- humans pack-bonded with fucking Roombas. Of course androids were cool, at first." _

_ Gavin's smile fell and he squeezed Connor's hand. "Then Cyberlife fucked that up. There had to be a model for everything. To do everything. They couldn't just stay with Elijah's idea of 'stay in our lanes'- they expanded too fast, too quickly. Pretty obvious, but everyone- no one responds to change very well. Androids slowly became hated or objects. Lost individuality- you know there used to be human touch in every early model? Something unique- whether it be one beauty mark or something." _

Him and Markus were both completely unique but that was because they were prototypes. If the revolution had been stopped he probably would have been mass-produced. 

That was definitely an odd thought. A bunch of other androids looking and acting just like him. RK900 was being built but he knew there would be differences in at least their personalities. 

He wrapped his arms around Gavin, keeping him close as he talked. He knew the entire history of Cyberlife, though he had never really needed it before.

What he didn't know was about the deviants. It didn't surprise him that Kamski knew and that Chloe could have been the first one. 

The visual of Chloe sitting on Kamski's chest until he agreed to sleep was incredibly amusing and not surprising at all. 

At the mention of Tracis he couldn't help but think of the two he let go. He wondered how they were doing and if they survived the revolution. He hoped so. 

"I did, it is a bit sad that they stopped doing that."

_ "Part of the reason Eli and I fought. That he stepped down. We fought- because Eli took a 'deviants don't exist' stance." Gavin paused, voice lowering and free hand jazz handing off to the side. "'There is no war in Ba Sing Se' bullshit. Closed off, became this uptight prick persona, even towards me a couple times. We fought and fuck, that wasn't fun. I had a job to focus on but- I still would've liked to talk to the only person I cared for in this family you know." _

_ There was a sigh as he leaned into Connor, kissing the other's cheek for a comfort. "So I knew there were deviants. Knew what to look for in cases, how to find them if it seemed they stayed nearby. Would hang behind, look for them. If it was honestly self-defense that deviated them, some shithead forcing them to face pain time and time again- I'd look the other way. Or if it was some idiot trying to steal thirium or parts- same thing. Give them my number. Some called, and I got them into an apartment here. Some didn't. I figure now- they got into Jericho. Or died." _

_ Gavin paused, and pulled back, looking to Connor. "Then you showed up. Me and Eli- we reconnected like- a year ago? Maybe a bit more. He warned me- there could be new models that would work with me. He knew what I was doing. I was- I'm sorry Connor. I was so mad at you. So mad at who they assigned you to- didn't think Hank would ever clean up. And then to figure out you're a deviant hunter specifically? Phck I was scared. If you got close, if you dug into any of the cases I looked the other way on- you'd have seen the pattern. You could've destroyed me." Gavin looked down then. "I'm sorry." _

It did hurt to hear but he didn't blame him. He'd be scared of himself too if he was in Gavin's position. He wondered what would have happened if he'd been assigned to Gavin instead. 

Would he have become deviant sooner? Would they have gotten together faster or at all? He would never know. 

It did make sense that Gavin treated him like such an asshole. He had to make sure to keep him at a distance. Connor probably would have tried to befriend him otherwise. Even with him doing that he still wanted to. He didn't know what he had done wrong other than being an android.

He definitely would have caught on and he was so glad he didn't. "I'm proud of you. You did what was right even if it could have costed you everything. You say I'm a hero, but I think you are one." He placed a soft kiss to Gavin's cheek. 

_ "There was a moment- in front of the evidence room- I wished you would've deviated. Despite knowing you weren't a deviant- you were so alive you know? No other android would sit on Hank's fucking desk. No one else would've winked like that. Phck, the day I overheard 'I like dogs' I got so stupidly excited and nearly dropped my papers, thinking you deviated and that was the first thing you figured out." He looked to Connor, pain in him even as he felt the kiss. _

_ "I feel like shit about that still Connor. Knowing you felt all of that. Didn't think you'd ever forgive me. I'm not a hero for treating you like shit and giving people an escape Connor- I'm just an officer. I live to serve and protect, that's the oath I swore by." He took a deeper breath, and raised his hands to hold Connor's cheek. _

_ "I love you now though, please never doubt that. I love you so much." He was so scared of telling Connor all this, afraid he'd run the other way. If Gavin's heart broke now, he was very certain it would be the last time. He could easily became the crazy cat guy- Captain in the office, cat guy in bed. 'Wrong way to phrase that.' _

"I was definitely more deviant than most. I'm honestly not sure why. I always had tendencies which Amanda hated. I think I didn't fully deviate because of her." He shrugged. He had been terrified of disappointing her and failing his mission. 

He didn't know how he didn't see the signs before. He was at least somewhat deviant after his first case up on that roof. Maybe it was because that was so stressful. Though, he did save the fish even though he didn't have to. 

"Yeah, you treated me pretty...bad, but I've forgiven you for a long time. Plus I think we got even when I knocked you on your ass," Connor snorted. "I still think you are a hero. Just a silent one. Your job was to uphold the law, but you still did what was right even when it went against that. It seems neither of us are lawful good." He had learned about that term when Hank talked about d&d. 

Connor placed his hands over Gavin's and leaned in to press a soft, slow kiss to Gavin's lips. "And I love you. I have no doubts about your life and I hope you have none about mine."

_ "Prototype? Prototypes from what I've seen always tend to deviate." He couldn't answer that one though, but hearing Connor felt they were even, he felt so much relief. Even if he heard it before, to hear it again was just relieving, especially since Connor knew it all. "Phck- if I hadn't been called by Audrey and Kyle about the whole revolution thing, I might've been impressed by that." _

_ Connor knew just where to press to properly fluster Gavin though. 'Hero' was not a term he thought he deserved- he did what anyone in his position would do. Or he hoped they would do. Still he was a bit red. "Oh hell no. I'd like to describe myself as- lawful chaotic. I have a strict set of laws I abide by, you just don't know them." _

_ At the kiss he felt himself melt practically, and almost forgot he had more story to tell. "Of course not. Connor, you have a bigger heart than some people I've met. I've said that before I know- but really. You are- everything I never thought I deserved and I'm so fucking happy to be with you." _

_ He sniffed and the smell of soup got through, reminding him he more to say. "I guess- I can go and say what I did after you folded me huh?" _

"I can always do it again...when I'm not being controlled by am evil AI that wants to murder a bunch of people. How did Cyberlife even make her that way?" Connor says, shaking his head. 

"You deserve the world. I am intrigued to hear the rest, but do you want food first?" He gives Gavin another kiss, smiling a bit. 

_ "Mmm, don't tempt me with a good time." Hearing the other part, Gavin frowned, and leaned in, giving him a much more energetic kiss. "Cyberlife is a bunch of dicks. And we can take all the time it needs to get back to heavier things Connor. I love just being with you, no matter what we do." _

_ At the prompt for food, Gavin finally slid off his lap. "Yeah, I ate before I drank, not- entirely wanting to suffer." He snickered at that, and took both of Connor's hands. "Actually-" Gavin looked to Doa, and hit his forehead- and immediately regretted. "Oh phck headache, nose- forgot about that- uh... Right! Cat! You can see through Doa's eyes right? After I'm done saying all this, maybe you can see through her eyes that night." _

He was glad that Gavin was willing to take it slow. He knew he'd be willing to again, but not right away. He'd definitely be gentle the next few times.

Connor followed Gavin up, sliding his skin back on his hands. He did snort when Gavin smacked himself. He gently checked his nose to make sure he didn't damage it anymore. 

"Good job. As for seeing through Doa's eyes, yes I can. I… accidentally already did that once. She didn't seem to mind though." He led them out to the kitchen and got Gavin a bowl. He didn't know how much he wanted so he just handed it to Gavin so he could dish it out himself.

_ Thankfully it was the forehead and he didn't bump his nose in his stupidity. "Doa's a big furball who tries to spill my vodka and throws all my sweets on the floor. Any chance to rat me out, I think she knows how to take it." He grumbled, glaring at the feline who followed them, and then played with Bastard when he finally shown himself. _

_ Taking the bowl, he filled it up, thanking Connor again and then looking to the living room. "Wanna sit down and keep going? It's uh- it was a long three days. I know it was definitely longer for you- just, phck... First time I've talked about it since then." He shrugged, sitting his spoon in the bowl. It was also take him a bit not to slip into a memory while talking about it. He was tired of crying today. _

"She certainly means well. Though I have to admit, I think she was teasing me with the memory she let me see." Connor said, shaking his head as he laughed. 

"Alright, let's sit." He walked over and sat down, smiling as Doa jumped up and layed down against his leg. Connor smiled and scratched behind her ears before patting the spot next to him.

_ "Very very possibly. You can tell she likes you- I haven't had to lock her in the bathroom yet." He sat down on the other side of the cat, and watched as Bastard settled- somewhat close. He was on the arm of the opposite end of the couch, watching the three. "Holy shit, today might be the day Bastard comes up to you." _

_ He 'snk'd at the tiny black ball of fur but he didn't move. "Maybe. Anyways, so uh- guess I'll start where I left off. You've met Kyle- he has my number," there was a grumbled unfortunately, "and so does Audrey, another ST200. Last I heard she's actually trying to become an EMS android. Anyways- they messaged me about being concerned about the revolution. Neither of them are fighters- Jericho wasn't an option. They didn't want to die." He took a couple bites of soup then.  _

Connor put his arm around Gavin and continued petting Doa with the other. He smiled at Bastard and slowly blinked at him like cats would do to each other to show trust and affection. 

He felt bad that he never really thought about the androids that had managed to hide instead of being rounded up or joined Jericho. He was glad that they lived, and had a safe place with Gavin. 

He tried to hide his snort at the unfortunately, but he didn't do it so well. Kyle seemed like he could be a very nice person, and they could maybe get along with the situation was different. 

"I don't think any of the androids did. I'm glad that they were at least somewhat safe."

_ "I tried to keep them safe. Had the window open to the fire access, snuck in the whole apartment building, their friends... By uh, the end of the night, there was thirty one people and uh... Well would've been thirty two." He swallowed hard at that, trying to focus on the soup and the arm around him. _

_ "Never liked having parties. Don't like being crowded unless I'm ready for it- in a bar or undercover. Don't like people in my space mostly- you do enough cases where you stop being you that you forget you can turn your back to people. There was no way in hell I was going to turn anyone away. Ended up uh... The spots- in the spare room. Ended up running a makeshift ER kinda? I mean, I knew part of what I was doing, called Eli when I had to go elbow deep into blue and he was- he was there when I..." _

_ Gavin set the bowl down, then wrapped his arms around Connor. "You know why doctors wear gloves? To protect themselves. Should've done the same. Got zapped so many times. Had to re-attach a leg. The guy- the guy I lost he- he was hurt for a while. Two of his friends had him patched up with garbage bags and barbed wire. His parts were just, giving out and uh- phck I had the bare minimum. They brought someone I could never save and I know this but…"  _

Connor felt pride. Gavin did so much and so well. "You save thirty one lives. You tried to save even more when he went to stop me in the evidence room." 

He was impressed that only one died. Not because he didn't trust Gavin's capabilities, but because officers were going door to door looking for androids. It could have gone wrong so fast.

He pulled Gavin close now that the bowl was completely out of the way. He wanted Gavin to eat but he also wanted to wrap him in blankets and never let go. 

"You did everything you could. I can't say you'll never have to fix up an android when the stress is high, but I can say that you won't have to do it alone. I'll be there to help. I'm really proud of you, Gavin." He kisses his cheek before resting his head on Gavin's shoulder as he held him.

_ There was a smile at the evidence room but he couldn't laugh too much at that. Instead he relaxed into the hold, clinging onto the other again. He focused on breathing, getting his hear to calm down, and his eyes closed again. Nothing came back this time, thankfully, and he tried to remember the more lighter parts of the actual night. _

_ "And I'll be real thankful for the help. Thank you Con, really, for just- not running... I can't- can't say all the time everyone was here was bad. You know kids, android or not, really love Uno? Twelve of us, two kids, me, Audrey, and six others, playing Uno after the press conference." _

_ Thinking of the other time he seen smiles, he snickered softly. "Also there was the 'check' too. They sent fucking Wilson here. Poor Wilson- I don't think he deserved any of what he dealt with that night. Flirted, flustered- I had that man so twisted up with the other officers with him- he didn't even check anywhere past the damn living room. Of course you know everyone heard that- I tried to keep the mood light after that." The worst part to go over was done with and he just kind of melted. _

_ "You know you won't be alone either, right? When you need me, I might not know much to help but phck I will try. Even if I have to break out the Uno cards." _

Connor took a deep breath, "I was scared. When I saw the room, it didn't look good. I'm pretty sure Doa would have murdered me if I left, even if you had done what it looked like." The cat in question blinked up at him before laying back down. 

"I've never played Uno. Hank no longer owns any games like that, so I haven't had the opportunity." He knew that Hank had them. They were all in a box that he hadn't looked at for a very long time. 

He did snort at the idea of using the seduction tactic on Wilson. Maybe he should have tried that on Gavin when they first met. Of course, he didn't want to assume that Gavin was interested in men, but he did have a good guess. Hank called it his gaydar. 

"I know. That means so much to me." He pressed a kiss to Gavin's shoulder, resting his head down again. He did try to be gentle with him, not wanting to hurt him still.

_ There was a soft laugh at that. "No it- probably didn't. Be glad I did the repairs in there- I moved everyone injured after they got fixed up- and the more stressed to my room where it was quieter towards the end of it all. Could've made that a lot harder. Worst thing- there were towels on the floor- still a mess."  _

_ Gavin looked to Doa, and reached over to rub her head, but then he was melting into the hold. He appreciated how gentle he was, and when he felt a little more solid of being here, he finally pulled back. They probably had spent over ten minutes just holding each other. "Let me guess- you finished cleaning while I was asleep, didn't you?" _

_ He hated how sleepy he still felt, and wondered if the other would be up for just snuggling on the couch and watching something. Watching one of the Thor movies sounded really cool right now, or maybe even a horror movie. Something so far detached from their situation they could feel scared but not for each other or the past. The Conjuring would be good. Or maybe Apollo 13. _

He could imagine. He was able to see every trace of evaporated thirium so he could see how bad it was. He kept an arm wrapped around Gavin even when he pulled back. 

He couldn't help but blush a little bit. "I did. I hope you don't mind. I figured that it would be better, and I really do enjoy cleaning." He used his other hand to go back to petting Doa. Maybe he could convince Hank to get a cat. 

He had tried to get many different animals, and Hank said they were too much work. Connor then pointed out they could just get androids and Hank just glared, ignoring him. He would eventually get more pets later on. 

"You seem tired still, I would suggest not taking another nap as it can affect your sleep schedule negativity." That didn't stop him from keeping Gavin close to his side. 

_ Shaking his head with a grin, he could only tap the other's arm gently. "Of course I don't mind, I just feel bad you had to do it, especially after everything. Could've gotten it, but thank you." Gavin felt the arm around his side and while that was nice he had an idea. _

_ Moving away completely, he adjusted himself to sit back against the arm rest, legs out to the other end, the shoulder that was facing the couch wrapping around Connor. From there he pulled on the other gently, hand coming up to guide his head to his to his chest as he pulled him to relax and lay back. _

_ Doa mewled as she moved, an annoyed sounding one as she took up a spot on the back of the couch. "Sorry not sorry Doa, I want Connor and he's here now so you get banished to the back of the couch until we settle." _

_ Getting Doa and Connor in place, he felt this was very comfortable. "Is this alright with you? No napping, figured we could watch a movie? I know Hank's probably expecting you back but-" Gavin huffed, looking to the tv to turn it on. "I- would like if you could just- stay for a bit?" _

"I was happy to, don't worry. Cleaning is relaxing for me." He chuckled. If he wasn't a detective he could definitely just clean for a living. 

Connor whined just slightly when Gavin pulled away completely. Then he was being pulled back and he sighed happily. He made sure Gavin wrapped his arms around him, and would snag the other arm once it was no longer setting up the TV. 

"I'd love to. I…do have a slightly odd request. Could we take off our shirts, I want to expose my chassis where we touch. If not, that's fine." He sent another text to Hank.

I'll be staying with Gavin for a bit. We are both fine. I'll let you know if I plan to stay the night.

He got a response almost instantly and felt bad for keeping Hank waiting for so long.

alright Connor, have fun kid

_ Having his arm snagged back made him snicker, smiling a bit more that time. Connor was honestly too cute. It had to be a crime. _

_ "That's not odd at all Con. Sit up a bit." His tanktop was pretty easy to remove, balling it up and tossing it onto the chair to the side. Bastard bounded off the armrest he'd been on to chase the fabric and Gavin sighed. "Furball..." _

_ Arms immediately going back around Connor after he got his shirt off, he looked at the list of movies and grinned. Horror could wait for another day. "Hey Connor. So you and Hank watched a lot of the Marvel movies right- have you seen Venom yet?" _

_ He remembered when the movie came out- and only found it ironic now how similar he was to Eddie in it. _

Connor took his shirt off, and unlike Gavin, neatly put it on the ground. He couldn't help but chuckle at Bastard. 

He leaned back and let his back become exposed. He could feel Gavin's muscles, not just how they were but the slight movements in them. If he could paint, he'd definitely paint Gavin. Maybe he should take up Markus's offer to teach him. 

He felt himself start to rumble again and pushed it down. "That is one of the few I haven't seen! I've been meaning to watch it."

_ Feeling the skin pull back, he was so happy the other was warm again. The cold he felt yesterday, now that he processed it, was honestly a little terrifying. He didn't let himself think of it, only pulling him closer. _

_ Then his hand came up to lay flat on Connor's chest, and he bit his lip gently before it moved. He laid it over the other's thirium pump, ready to remove it immediately if Connor shown any discomfort. With the skin removed he could feel it work clearly, and he suddenly realized how nice this was. _

_ "If this is bad, tell me. And phck- Venom is an awesome movie. I loved it so much when it came out." Telling the tv to play the movie, he hummed as it got started.  _

He jolted slightly before relaxing. He'd never had someone do that. That was one of his most vulnerable places and if someone got close to it it generally meant they were trying to kill him. 

Gavin wasn't trying to kill him, though. So he relaxed slowly and gently rested his hands over Gavin's. He didn't stop the rumble this time, but tried to keep it soft. 

"It's definitely different. I don't mind, it actually feels nice. I am excited to see it!" 

_ Gavin melted at the go ahead, and closed his eyes for a moment, focusing on the feeling. A rumble against his chest, a hand on top of his, Connor's heart beat essentially under his palm. _

_ They were both alive. Alive and well- they would be. Alive and happy- right now he definitely was. "Love you." He said softly, unable to stop the words and his eyes opened again. Doa curled at their feet and Bastard was curled in his tanktop.  _

_ This was all so perfect and he wondered if one day he'd have the confidence to ask Connor to make this permanent. "Guess which character's my favorite as we go in." _

"I love you too." He felt just so happy. Even if everything that had happened, all the fear and the worry, he was happy. He was happy curled up against Gavin who had his hand on his heart. If it was anyone else he'd be at least slightly nervous. 

When he saw the spaceship he snickered and pointed at it. "That is obviously your favorite." Then it started to crash. "Oh shit."

_ "Oh trust me, just wait, you'll know." He snickered, and watched the movie for a bit. He did end up giving up around the part of the ambulance, but it wasn't because he lost interest. He watched it enough times to know what happened by heart. _

_ Instead he watched Connor's reactions, looking over the skin that stayed, the way he glowed. Occasionally he still would tune into the movie, a short laugh or mumbling a phrase he really loved. Part of him really fucking glad he wasn't younger and still wanted fucked by Venom because that wasn't something that needed to ever be talked about. _

_ The thought there were still some kinks he was happy to keep to himself was amusing. _

When he saw Eddie he couldn't help but snicker and look between the two. "He's you." He said, pointing at the screen. 

He was actually shocked at this and had to blink a few times. "Does this make me Venom?" 

"No, Venom better save him," he grumped when Eddie was stabbed. He made a happy sound when he was and an outraged one when he thought Venom had died. "Not what I meant." 

At the end he was smiling widely at the screen and completely relaxed in Gavin's arm. His stress levels were the lowest they've been in a long time. 

"That was amazing. I heard some people didn't like it as it wasn't scary enough, but I very much enjoyed Eddie and Venom's dynamic. I… I would let Venom fuck me." He mumbled the last part. He sunk deeper and his face turned blue. 

_ "Hell yeah it is, and hell yeah you are. Both of you are strong, witty, and brave- you're not as chaotic, all the time, as Venom but- definitely could see it." _

_ Gavin laughed at bit at the following thought. "Aw shit, that means if you ever get that famous, people are gonna debate we're a couple despite being married in the comics." _

_ The bridge scene Gavin was silent, trying not to spoil anything. "Again- Venom is absolutely you. Isn't it sweet though, they meet and end in the same water basically?" _

_ Gavin just let the credits play, knowing there was a short after credits scene teasing the next movie. He focused on Connor, and caught the deep blue. "Yeah- Venom is, in the comics, more of a bad guy, and his form is supposed to be this- terrifying conglomerate of teeth and ink. Instead, everyone just wants fucked by the goo. Don't be embarrassed- I definitely did too." _

_ The only reason he didn't now was because he had Connor. Which was entirely too sappy to say out-loud, but Gavin found it really hard to picture being with anyone else when he was with someone he truly wanted to be with. _

He definitely could be chaotic but hadn't had a good reason to be, or the urge. He did have a few whims he was definitely thinking of doing, one he'd probably do soon. 

Hank had jokingly said he couldn't decide if Connor was incredibly brave or stupid. Connor had just shrugged and said probably both.

He knew he was already famous, obviously not as much as Markus was, but not knowing who Markus was was like not knowing who the president was. He was more like the secretary of state, people knew he existed and most respected him, but not everyone knew who he was.

He did chuckle at the comment on people questioning their relationship. Anyone who knew of their relationship before the revolution would definitely be unsure. With Gavin mentioning marriage he couldn't help but smile slightly. He could imagine them living together in a house with a bunch of animals. 

"I think it's good they started off showing him in a more positive light. It will help ease people into the thought of rooting for the villain instead of traditional hero." He'd have to find a way to read the comics. He could download them, and if he couldn't find any good physical copies, he would.

_ "I've always been weak for anti-hero concepts I guess- Loki becoming an anti-hero was awesome. I love Deadpool, and Hawkeye in the last two movies? Holy shit I want a whole separate series for that. But I dunno, I guess I've always liked the gray zone. Don't get me wrong," moving his hand that wasn't on Connor's heart, he ran it down the other's side, watching the chassis expose as he did. _

_ "Love heroes in general, especially the one in my arms. I just started with Deadpool and Venom and Chicago PD before I really got into Thor and Iron Man and the rest of them. There is exceptions- Starlord or whatever was annoying as hell." He snickered, then the after credits scene came on and he quieted. _

_ "Thanks Connor," he started when it finished. "I- I would've ended up passed out and sore tonight in the not-fun-way if you hadn't checked up, so thanks Con." _

"Loki is a very good character. Even before it became more accepted he was always seen as genderfluid and pansexual." He liked how complex the characters in the gray areas were. It made them more enjoyable to watch as they kept you on your toes about what they'd do. 

He shivered at the touch, still making that rumbling sound. He couldn't help that small giggle when Gavin's hand touched a sensitive part of his side. Apparently he could be ticklish. 

"Of course. I'm really glad I came. I could always make you sore in a good way." Connor teased, tilting his head so he could look up at Gavin with a small smirk.

_ "Deadpool's pansexual too- flirts with Colossus in both movies, which, fair would do so too, but yeah. I always loved that little shit- Elijah dressed up as him one year." He definitely noticed the shiver, the giggle too. _

_ "Ticklish?" He was grinning a bit, hand squeezing that spot. He definitely felt the warmth in him that the smirk brought- Connor's smirk was like a shot of liquid want. But he didn't want to do anything like that tonight. _

_ Connor probably still needed time from yesterday, and he knew that the smallest yip would make the other feel guilty. So he focused on the giggle. "I know you could, buuut- I'm more interested in seeing how you react to being tickled." With that said, he kept squeezing and lightly trailing over that spot that caused the giggle. _

He smiled at the thought of Kamski and Gavin dressing up. He has never experienced Halloween before, but he wanted to. He liked the idea of dressing up, and he hoped maybe Gavin would dress up with him. 

He whined and wiggled in Gavin's hold. He was fine with not doing anything tonight. 

He wiggles more in Gavin's arms, trying to scoot away without moving away from Gavin. Basically he was completely failing. He had to bite down on his lip to stop from laughing. "Gavin!" He mewled. 

_ "What's wrong babe? Something the matter? Gotta say you want me to stop." He never tickled an android before, and wondered how the other would react to it. Gently adding his nails to the mix, he wrapped his legs around Connor's. _

_ "Careful now, you fall and we both come with." He snickered, and his other hand finally moved from it's spot to see if the opposite side had a ticklish spot too. The movie had ended, and the playlist for the album started up instead. _

"Gavin! Ah, that-" he couldn't help but start giggling. At the nails his body jolted just slightly and he tried to get away. 

Being ticklish was...odd. It didn't hurt, and it felt good in a weird way. He liked it, though it was definitely overwhelming. He knew tickling use to be used to torture people and he could see why. 

When Gavin used his other hand as well, his back arched away from Gavin. He tried to squeeze his arms in, but he didn't want to hurt Gavin so he just kept them tense as he wiggled. He let out another high-pitched whine.

He was slowly pulling his legs up, trying to get some kind of purchase as he strained against Gavin. "No fair!" He panted. 

_ Keeping this up for a couple moments, he did let up, hands just holding the other. Connor was so damn cute, squirming and back arched, trying to squeeze around Gavin but not wanting to hurt him. _

_ "You can squeeze me Con, only my face is honestly sore. Squeeze me as hard as you like, as long as you're ready to deal with the consequences." He leaned down to kiss Connor's cheeks, both, and then waited for the other to recover. "Never been tickled before?" He could guess it was a new sensation. He was glad Connor hadn't figured out his weak spot yet, despite how much they both liked marking each other.  _

_ His thighs were blissfully left alone in all their biting and teasing, the closest he could remember Connor coming to finding out was when he was tying the knot on the ropes that went underneath him. He wasn't tempting fate today though, really glad he was underneath the other and out of his reach for retribution. _

When Gavin stopped he slumped back into him and playfully glared up at him before reaching around to poke his side. "I haven't...that was definitely new."

"As for squeezing and consequences-" he easily twisted out of Gavin's hold, and straddle him. He grabbed his arms and held them with one hand as he used the other to run over Gavin's abdomen and neck, looking for any ticklish spots.

_ "Good new or 'please I am going to ban you from the couch if you ever do that again'- new?" He laughed to the poke in his side, and fixed Connor's hair to not be in his face. _

_ Of course the other was going to try, but he almost smirked victoriously at the other straddling him. Being held down and the other running his hand over him had his head swimming, an instant reaction of want rushing through him like lava that he had to stomp down.  _

_ He exposed his neck to the other, welcoming the soft touch, and his stomach twitched and reacted, but he wasn't ticklish there. "If you wanted to touch me you didn't need to hold me down~" He was teasing, absolutely aware Connor was looking for his ticklish spots. _

"Haven't decided," he paused for dramatic effect, "I think good." 

He squinted at Gavin when he couldn't find any ticklish spots on his chest. "I know, but it's more fun this way." He did smirk at Gavin's reaction, bending down to give Gavin's neck a quick lick before pulling back. 

He looked Gavin over before grinning widely. Other than Gavin's back, which had very little chance of being ticklish, his legs were the only places he hasn't tried. Thighs were known to be ticklish on some people. 

He scooted down, and let go of Gavin's wrist so he could have access to both hands. "I'm taking your pants off." He said, before pulling them down. Without skipping a beat he started running his hands around Gavin's thighs.

_ That actually got a loud laugh, Gavin shaking his head. "Yeah yeah- You are such a little shit." As if to make his point, Connor had to lick his neck and despite sensitivity being dulled still, it got him to gasp. _

_ "I'm confused to you're goal here Con." The look over him had him turning a little bit red, the grin making his head swim. Then Connor was moving and pulling his pants down. "Wait shit Con-" He didn't stop him in time to reveal he went commando. _

_ But the embarrassment at that was short lived cause Gavin twisted, air being punched out of him as the ticklish feeling hit him all at once, both hands attacking him. "Oh ph-uck! Con- wait-" He started to laugh airily, moving one of his free hands to muffle himself. _

He couldn't help but hum happily at the sight of Gavin. "My primary objective is to find a ticklish spot and tickle you." He chuckled when Gavin started laughing. 

"If anything else happens...well I'm obviously not opposed. It does seem I have completely the first part of my objective." He did reach up with one hand and moved Gavin's hand away from his mouth. 

He had his skin pulled back as he tickled Gavin and that made it even better for Connor. He gave into the urge and leaned down, kissing the inside of Gavin's thigh.

_ "B-Bastard man- little- brah- brat!" Gavin was stuttering as he laughed, trying to wiggle away now and get freedom from the hands torturing him. "Connor-" He was the one whining now, tears coming to his eyes as he tried to close his legs. _

_ At the kiss though, Gavin was arching up try and wiggle away. The other so close, the ticklish feeling, the burn of not being breathe through the laughing- he really was trying not to get turned on but this was going to be near impossible. So he whined the other's name louder, arching and scooting away. _

"What's wrong babe? Something the matter? Gotta say you want me to stop." He couldn't help but copy Gavin's exact words from earlier. 

He wished he had more hands so he could hold Gavin down. No wonder people started tying each other up for pleasure. So instead he put his legs under Gavin's and around his hips and held him by his own legs.

He used some of his strength to keep Gavin's leps open, tickling each thigh simultaneously. 

He gave another kiss to Gavin's thigh, before moving over to the other and doing the same. This time he also nipped at the skin just slightly.

_ Payback was an absolute bitch. Being so easily moved around and held up with doing nothing for the goal of not getting turned on, especially with how easily the other did it and resumed tickling him. _

_ Then the other started kissing and nipping his thighs. While that felt amazing and if Connor started that when he was already in the mood, he would've immediately been turned on, right now it was just on the side of too much for as much as he was wiggling and laughing already. "Connor pla-please please oh fuck- can't breathe- stomach hurts- Connor!" _

_ He reached for a pillow, gently tapping the top of Connor's head with it. To think he was just getting his energy back and now he'd be all worn out again, when he stopped laughing. _

Of course he did pull back when Gavin asked him to. He rubbed a few soothing circles onto Gavin's thighs before moving his hands off them completely. 

Instead he reached up and gently massaged the muscles of his stomach that had been tense from the tickling. "Sorry. Your laugh is just so nice, and you look too damn good." 

"Are you alright? I didn't hurt you, did I?" He feels worry and anxiety wash over him. He really didn't want to hurt him, not unintentionally. He'd probably do something to punish himself if he hurt Gavin again.

_ Gavin was wiggling but calming at the circles, and the massage on his chest felt good. He opened up one eye at hearing the other's worry, knowing his face was flushed and he was gripping a pillow and- _

_ Jeez- Gavin was very aware of how he looked but it only made him turn a bit more red. "Not hurt, phck- just laughed too much I'm good. Also was ah- getting riled up." He admitted it, not caring to what he'd have to admit to if it meant Connor wouldn't worry. _

_ Pushing the pillow to the side he reached for the other, still breathing heavily. "You look too damn good, get down here so I have a better reason to not breathe for a bit." Ok so he was still riled up but it was more like a warm pool from being in the sun- and not the torturous mix from before. _

"Well, I'm glad I accomplished my mission." He couldn't help but grin at that. 

He was so glad he hadn't hurt Gavin again. He would keep this information because he wasn't definitely going to use it to tease him. Obviously he couldn't just reach between Gavin's legs at work (well, he could but whatever) to tickle him, but he'd get to tease him with it when they were alone.

He did straddle Gavin again, but made sure to not sit on certain parts. He stopped the message, instead running his hands up Gavin's chest until he gently cupped Gavin cheeks. 

"I love you." Then he bent the rest of the way down to kiss him, the rumbling coming back again, but thankfully not too loud. He'd probably die if that happened at work. He kept the skin on his face this time, just happy to be kissing Gavin.

_ "Of course you are- I'm happy to be your mission-" Gavin went a bit owl-eyed at how sappy that was, and went to cover his face with his arms. "Phck- only you get me so weak like this- my kryptonite- my silver bullet." He thought of a song, and then realized just what was going to be the first song he sang for the other. _

_ Disregarding the fact he was probably singing while drunk or the song he hummed to try and keep from leaving it silent. He leaned into the other's hands as they made their trip up, feeling his heart thud, and then the other was rumbling into a kiss. _

_ Hands coming up to hold him in it, he kissed back happily, fingers curling in his hair. Sure it was awkward to be practically naked in the other's lap, but he wasn't too worried about it. There was a lot of things he'd never have to worry about Connor at least, and he was really happy for that. _

He loved being able to make Gavin feel comfortable enough to show vulnerability. It made him so happy to hear Gavin be so affectionate. 

He started the kiss slow, feeling the tingling he got whenever they kissed. If he could be addicted to things, he'd definitely be addicted to this. 

He pulled back and mumbled a quick, "give me one second." Then he pulled his own pants off. The fabric probably wasn't comfortable for Gavin, and he didn't feel the need to wear them anyway. 

He had worn underwear today, so now that was the only thing left on. "You're so beautiful, I love you," he sighed happily before going back to kissing Gavin. He pressed kisses around his face before kissing his lips again.

_ The minute Connor let him breathe he laid his head back, reeling from all the feelings and sensations. There was a very big possibility Gavin fell asleep like this, naked and just thoroughly kissed, and fuck- if they didn't both have work in the morning he would've suggested it. _

_ "Take your time." He realized the other was pulling his pants off, and watched them join the shirt. "Love you too," he got out, and then the other was kissing him. Honestly his heart hurt with how much he loved the other, the affection and the soft kisses over his face getting a soft keen of the other's name before they were kissing again. _

_ The moment was broken when Gavin felt something in his hair that was definitely not Connor, and jumped at the sensation, only to see Doa on the armrest above his head. The cat then smacked him on the forehead and mewled. "Fucker!" _

When Gavin jumped Connor pulled back. He couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled up. He reached out to pet Doa as a sorry, but didn't put his skin back on.

When they connected he could sense she was annoyed and he just pulled his hand back with a giggle. "I don't think she wants to see us naked." If a cat could raise one eyebrow he was sure Doa would do it.

Honestly that cat seemed more human than some humans. "So, clothes on or do you want to go cuddle in your room?" 

_ Flipping Doa off, the cat swat at his hand, claws in of course. "Loveable bitch- I don't want to see Bastard lick his own leg but don't hear me complain." Still, if there was anyone who could make Gavin loop through a hoop as well as Connor could, it was absolutely Doa.  _

_ Didn't stop him from whining at the choice. "If I go to my room I'm definitely falling back asleep mr-take-your-breath-away. So I'll put my pants back on- if Connor wants to tickle me he knows how now anyways." _

_ Sitting up, moving off of Connor's hips was an exploration itself, not wanting to tease them both. He managed it of course, pulling his pants back up then patting his chest. "I know I can't keep you all night- we both have work in the morning. And I- have a surprise for you to look forward to." He leaned up to peck his cheek. "Soo- you pick a movie you think I haven't seen, and we relax?" _

"Sleeping now would definitely not be good for your sleep schedule." He did blush at the comment but leaned over and grabbed his pants, pulling them on.

He laid back against Gavin again like before and perked up at the sound of a surprise. "Oh? Well, I'm very excited to find out what it is. I do have to leave at some point, but I can stay longer." He would be willing to stay the night, but he didn't have any clothes. 

He really needed to just bring a bunch over so it would no longer be an issue. 

He had to think for a second before smiling, "how about Finding Nemo?" He had a second of worry about Gavin not wanting to because it was a kids movie, but he pushed it aside. If teased he could point out that was wasn't even one years old yet.

_ "One more movie, and I promise I'll be good. Both during it and after." He even looped his pinky around Connor's bringing their fingers up to kiss. Then his arms were around him, holding his sides and holding him close. _

_ There was a snort at that. "You think I've not seen Finding Nemo? Damn- I seen that and Finding Dory." He got the movie on, relaxing again and waiting for it to start. "You know a movie I think you'll like? Some other day of course- Big Hero 6. You and Baymax- I could see you two being friends." _

He smiled at the pinky promise then wrapped Gavin's arms around himself. He kept his back exposed like before, and just like before he started the rumbling. 

"Well, most people have, but if you hadn't I would have forced you to watch it. I would have tied you to the couch if you tried to resist…or just sat on you." Ok, so he really liked this movie. It was definitely one of his favorites. 

"I haven't seen that, though it is on my to-watch list. I'm excited to see who Baymax is." 

_ "Connor, you know that's not exactly a punishment for me." His voice was a rumble, slightly teasing but that's all. "Who knows, might ask Hank for one of your other favorites so I can say I haven't watched it." He grinned at the rumbling, rubbing the other's skin encouragingly.  _

_ "Like I said, definitely something you'll like. Maybe I can get Tina to watch it during the party. I know she likes the girls in it." He got quiet as the movie actually started though, hands never going idle. Trying to keep awake of course, this movie was so comfortable and familiar but not as dramatic as Venom- he could've fallen asleep to it. _

_ Except he made a game of watching spots of blue light up under his fingertips. Tracing lines, his name, Connor's, 'love/angel/hero/world'. Symbols- hearts, stars, the Jericho symbol, Connor's LED. He was honestly having fun with this. _

"I'm sure he could list all of my favorites. Once I find something I like I tend to talk about it a lot. As for watching, I'd love to as long as Tina wants to." He still wanted to find her a present but wasn't sure what. Maybe he could find some nice alcohol. 

He hummed happily until the movie started, then quieted except for the rumble. No matter how many times he watched it it never got old. 

He did start noticing that what Gavin was tracing onto his skin wasn't random. In return he started tracing things onto Gavin's leg. It would probably be a bit harder for him to recognize them since he had an extra layer. 

He was grateful to be able to multitask so he could easily pay attention to the movie but also Gavin. He did glance down and smiled when he saw a few of the lines Gavin traced stayed for a second before disappearing.

_ He definitely grinned at the other returning the favor, and while he couldn't glow like Connor, he still reacted. Face a bit red, skin warm where Connor touched, goosebumps still. He couldn't catch shit of what the other was tracing, but he didn't let that deter him. _

_ Over the movie, he had gotten a full heart traced, traced out the words 'I love you' and 'thank you' over and over. He traced lyrics eventually, and the first that came to mind was the one he was listening to. He wasn't upset of course, it was just stuck in his head, and he couldn't help but think it fit them. 'Hold your breath my love, just a little bit longer. I am on my way to you.' _

When Gavin traced the 'I love you' he looked up at him and smiled. "Love you too." He kisses Gavin's chin before going back to watching between the movie and what Gavin is tracing.

At the end he stayed in Gavin's arms. He knew he had to go home but the actual desire to get up was incredibly low. "I don't wanna leave." It comes out more as a whine than he expected it to.

He was really glad that only Nemo's mom died because otherwise he would have cried during the movie. Hank had teased him after he found out that he would cry if an animal dies on screen. 

_ Smiling to the reply, he couldn't help the resounding hum at the kiss. He kept quiet for the rest, enjoying the rumbling a lot. Of course he didn't want Connor to leave, but it was way too early to ask the other to move in. _

_ However... "Well, you got to take your clothes home you got the other day... Maybe when you come around again, you can leave some pairs here? I got a drawer that's basically empty- can move it's contents up and leave it open for you?" _

_ That was asking a lot, he knew it, but he felt it would prevent a lot of whining on both of their parts in the future. _

_ At the end of the movie he just put on one of his favorite shows for background noise and pulled the other up to kiss him. "So sweet and adorable babe, I don't want you to leave either but- time waits for no man. Plus I'm pretty sure the whole damn precinct misses you." _

That sounded really nice actually. He had planned to at least make a small bag of clothes that he could easily grab. He knew what the implications of it meant. "That would be great, thank you!"

He also knew the statistics of couples moving in together. For some, it didn't seem to matter how quickly they moved, it just worked out. Others, the timing made their relationship crash and burn. 

About 25% of American couples that eventually move in together do so after four months of dating, and 50% after a year. By two years, over 70% had moved in. 

Of course there are the outliers that moved in together before four months or after two years. 

"I doubt everyone misses me, but I am excited to get back. I've been away much longer than I wanted to." He knew cases were piling up, and that did cause extra stress. There were plenty of cases involving androids that he needed to work on. "Not adorable, you are." He kisses back but does pull away. 

He activates the skin on his back as he grabs his shirt and pulls it on. He misses the feeling of Gavin against him, but he does get up. "If I don't leave soon, I never will." 

_ Gavin hated how he stuttered at first because of how bright Connor's voice was, but he didn't hate the stupid, lovesick smile he got. "Nothing to thank me for angel. I'll move everything before I go to bed tonight."  _

_ He scoffed at how quick the other was to doubt the words. "Then doubt- but they do. Place is so quiet, and you're so damn friendly- I'll be surprised if there isn't..." A brilliant idea came over Gavin and he grinned a bit. "I'll be surprised if there isn't some kind of welcome back thing for you both." _

_ There was going to be. As soon as Connor left, he was making sure that nothing was planned through Tina and then messaging Elijah to make a batch of donuts. He still had to ask about the cupcakes too, and offer to come be his idea board for a day. "Both adorable, how 'bout that?" _

_ When the other put his shirt on, Gavin couldn't help but make grabby hands at him. "Don't see a problem with that," he was teasing of course, and Doa swat his hand. "Doa stop being mean to me- Connor she's so mean to me."  _

He did squint at Gavin at the comment on a welcome back party. He had no doubt what Gavin was thinking, but he wasn't going to stop him. It was actually really fucking sweet. 

"Alright, we're both adorable." He said, snorting at Doa. He reached out and scratched behind her ears, smirking at Gavin when she let him. 

"I think I'm her favorite now," of course he actually wasn't, but he was glad that Doa liked him. 

He did bend down and gave Gavin a hug, and couldn't help himself as he picked him up. "I could just carry you around," he said as he held Gavin up, holding him by his ass and an arm around his back to keep him steady.

_ Doa rumbled happily at the pets. If his hand was exposed, she expressed a deep approval through the link. Gavin only rolled his eyes at the traitor. "Definitely her favorite visitor- I don't think she took to Tina this quickly honestly." _

_ Gasping at the hug, Gavin was all too happy to wrap his legs and arms around the other, holding onto him. It wasn't too tight, he trusted the other not to drop him, but it was enough to remind him of the whole red panda and koala bear comments. "You could. I wouldn't complain, though I'd prove to be a horrid distraction." _

_ To make his point, he ran his fingers into the other's hair, all love and affection in his eyes. "Handsome, beautiful, adorable boyfriend." He felt so affection from all the cuddling and Connor was gonna miss this. _

"Android perks," Connor snorted. He also noticed that animals seemed to like him, and Hank often called him a Disney princess. 

Connor hummed as Gavin ran his hand through his hair, leaning into the touch. Of course, Gavin was easy to hold up, so he felt confident enough to use the hand on his back so trail up and cup Gavin's cheek. 

"Heroic," another kiss, "entrancing, ineffable, attractive, stunny," each word was punctuated with a kiss, "perfect boyfriend."

_ The hand had him curling into the other, moving to cup his face and not even trying to get him to go home. Being held like this was so fucking good and he adored it- Connor knew it too, he had to. "Mhm." _

_ At the fire back of his words, Gavin started to go brighter and brighter, feeling his heart push against his chest like a caged hummingbird and he couldn't fire back. He got out a short, breathless perfect before moving in to kiss him much more passionately, hands tangling in the other's hair this time.  _

_ Doa didn't move to swat them this time, a soft mewl before she curled beside Bastard and calmed the younger kitten. Gavin ignored her, want to express his love for the guy holding him a lot stronger than whatever bullshit she could be doing. _

If he could pull Gavin any closer he would, but they were already as close as possible in this position. 

He did walk so that Gavin's back was pressed against the wall. He pressed his chest against Gavin, using it to hold him while he used one hand to roam his body. 

He kept his one hand on Gavin's ass, but kept it there for more reasons than holding him up. "If we don't stop then I won't get home tonight." He muttered between kisses.

_ Connor played dirty. Connor played absolutely dirty and this was warfare on his willpower. His kisses were lighting him up and one hand left his hair to cling to his back. _

_ The fact that Connor was holding him with one hand on his ass and his chest only was fire in his veins and that other hand had him whining softly. Really he should stop- _

_ "That sounds like a problem to deal with in the morning." He mumbled right back, biting on Connor's bottom lip. "You know what this does to me handsome- You gonna make me scream where the whole hallway can hear me?" Wasn't he supposed to be waiting for the other to recover? He didn't want to move Connor too fast after everything that happened. But this all felt really good and he really didn't want to stop Connor now. _

And there goes the rest of his resolve. He was going to at least try to get home, but now that definitely wasn't going to happen. "Hm, I definitely could do that. Or I could see how well you follow instructions. Make you scream, but tell you to keep quiet." 

He leaned back to get a better angle to kiss down Gavin's neck. "Though I would miss your sweet sounds. You said most androids live here? How loud do you think you'll have to get before they hear?" He nipped at the skin. 

He moved his hand down and gave a playful squeeze to Gavin's thigh. 

_ "I don't think I'll listen well tonight. Maybe I'll try to make you vocal, hm? Get you to scream my name, everyone will know I make my boyfriend feel amazing." He gasped at the kisses, rolling his hips into the other's. _

_ He cursed softly as the other mentioned everyone else. For the most part, between floors you couldn't hear anything. However, there was one person, given where they were, that would definitely hear. Gavin went bright red. "Not loud if we don't move." _

_ The thigh squeeze had him jolting, hands scrambling to grab his shirt. "Connor, handsome, if this keeps up-" He moved a hand then, threading it into the other's hair and tugging his head back. "You're not going home if this keeps up." _

In return for the hip roll he squeezed his thigh again, and remembered exactly who was on the other side of the wall. "I wouldn't mind that," he purred into Gavin's ear. 

He wasn't possessive in a bad way, but he did want everyone to know that Gavin is taken, and very, * _ very _ * satisfied.

He whined a bit at the hair pull and instead of moving his head back, bit down on the crock of Gavin's neck. His mind did supply him with a thought, I'm already home, but he pushed it aside.

"I don't mind, as long as we get up early enough so that I can get clothes," he mumbled as he licked at the bite mark. 

_ Wiggling at the squeeze, Gavin let his head hit the back of the wall and gasped. He felt everything melt in him at the touch and the purr. "Then let me take care of you babe- let me make you feel- fwah-" _

_ The noise he made at the bite was something between a moan, a curse, and a word all mashed into one mumble. "Oh-ohhkay yeah, yeah I'll get up early." Connor was his weakness, his damn Achilles' heel- there was an invisible leash and this man held the other end.  _

_ And Gavin was so ok with that, pulling on the other's shirt now. "Lemme touch you, please Connor- wanna make you feel good." He did, the whine replaying in his head and the bite mark fading into a pleasant burn. Really, Gavin had to wake up anyways- he was going to look like he got into a bar fight by the end of this. _

He hummed happily at the responses, licking a strip up Gavin's neck before going back down it with kisses. 

Connor pushed Gavin against the wall completely, and brought a knee up to support him before pulling his shirt off and dropping it to the ground. 

He held Gavin up by his ass, and stepped back from the hall, pulling Gavin's shirt off. He dropped that on the ground too. He also took a step closer to the door before slamming Gavin back into the wall. 

He kept a hand behind Gavin's head as he did this, not wanting to give him a concussion. He eagerly went back to biting and licking his way up and down every patch of skin on Gavin's neck. 

_ There were softer sighs of Connor's name, and Gavin felt his whole body catch fire, spreading from each kiss. At least he could get payback now, soft whispers of 'perfect, wonderful, kind, caring, you take such good care of me' with each kiss. _

_ He watched Connor take the shirt off and scanned over him like he did every time. He couldn't bite and mark, Connor was healing again, but he wanted to. He wanted to mark 'perfect' in teeth marks across the other's shoulders. Instead he settled with his arms around the other's neck, and laughed breathlessly as he was slammed again. _

_ Gavin would feel all of this tomorrow, but thankfully he only just dug his teeth into a case. He shouldn't be doing anything too busy busy, and if he was, he could see if Tina would go with him. She'd understand. Right now, he focused on the other's strength holding him up. _

_ "Connor!" The first bite still surprised him and he bucked, feeling his body twitch under each bite and lick. "Connor oh fuck, I love you so much, feels so good." He was very close to begging Connor just to let him return the favor. Or move on. _

"I wonder if I could make you come like this. Just from kissing," he pulled back and kissed Gavin fiercely on the lips, "and biting," he bit at Gavin's lips with a smirk. 

He didn't try to hide that he was slowly getting closer and closer to the door. Part of him wanted for Kyle to walk out and hear them. "Mine." He growled as he kissed him again.

He ran a hand down Gavin's chest, before slowly rubbing him through his jeans. He knew that the pace would just drive Gavin crazy more than anything, and that was the plan. 

_ "You can certainly-" The kiss left him breathless so the 'try' was barely heard. The bite had him whining, chasing after Connor's lips for another kiss. _

_ Of course the other just had to growl that, and Gavin was really glad he was being held. It kept him from dropping to his knees. Begging however- his head was very fuzzy and he was becoming very gone.  _

_ He moaned loudly into the kiss at the hand slowly rubbing him now, and wanted to cry at how damn turned on he was. When the other let him breathe, he mouthed a curse word to catch his breath. And throw away any pride he had left. _

_ "Connor, baby, please let me- phck- please let me suck you off. I wanna be good for you, please- please." He moved in for another kiss, unaware of the other's plan to make him noisy but very aware about his want to make the other feel as good as he did right now. _

He really liked that idea, but he wanted Gavin a bit louder before he let him. They were getting vet close to the door, and soon he'd have Gavin completely pressed against it. 

He knew that Kyle would have good hearing so he had no doubt that he probably heard Gavin already. The thought just made him want to push Gavin harder. 

"That sounds so good. I'm not sure if I'm reading to let go of you, though." He kissed along Gavin's jaw, putting more pressure on his dick before moving his hand away almost completely. 

He then pressed again, but barely there and rubbed him quickly before slowly to a near stop. "I want to hear you." He mumbled as he got towards Gavin's ear, nipping at it, before going back towards his mouth. 

_ Gavin finally noticed where they were when his back felt the cool metal of the door handle, whimpering and arching away from it. It took him longer to realize why, but when he did, and heard Connor deny him, he was torn between laughing and keening at the idea of being caught. _

_ Unlike the car, Gavin couldn't give a single fuck who caught him here. He didn't have to remain torn for long, because the other was torturing him, causing him to whine out for the other. His hips tried to move and he was gasping, fingernails digging into the other's shoulders softly. _

_ He had so many responses to 'I want to hear you' but he couldn't focus on the pressure that was just barely there. "Then leave your mark Con, make me scream only the way you can." Gavin met his lips, looking into the other's eyes, voice steady. "I'm all yours. You know you're the only guy I can ever think about Con. Now please, please do something I need you." _

Connor growled deep in his chest. He pulled his hand back, and shoved it underneath the fabric of Gavin's pants and underwear.

He swiped his thumb across the head before starting to pump him, squeezing Gavin's ass as he did. 

"Mine," he said before biting down on the other side of Gavin's neck, hard enough to draw blood. His brain once again gave him the information but he was too focused on Gavin to care. Most of his thoughts were 'mine' and 'I love you's. 

_ It was the combination of everything that Gavin was highly surprised he didn't fully come on the spot. The growl at first had him inhaling, a shiver, then the hand suddenly teasing him had the softest keen. _

_ Which broke out into a scream when the squeeze and the bite finished off what was left of his control, Gavin arching into the other. He could feel the way the skin broke, how damn close he was from the rapid combo of sensation, and he was nearly about to cry from need. The other's name spilled in a mantra, and Gavin forgot the goal. _

_ Til he knocked behind him, Gavin squeaking in the sudden shock of the vibrations. "Would you two please move the fuck away from the door!" Kyle's voice was so pissed, and Gavin was glad he was breathless laughing. _

_ "T-Turn- your sensors off or listen cause I-" His words melted out into a moan, "couldn't give a fuck. Connor please!" He bucked his hips, pleading with grey eyes for the other. _

He licked at the blood, smirking when he heard Kyle. He loved how vocal Gavin was and incredibly pleased he was heard. 

He just moves his hand faster grinning into Gavin's shoulder, not even pausing. "Our house, we can be as loud as we fucking want." He said. He could help but chuckle. 

"Gavin, you look so amazing, do you still want to suck me?" He asks, nipping more gently at the tender skin. He doesn't try to speak quietly, but he doesn't raise his voice. He doesn't need to anyway.

_ Gavin started to squirm, soft 'yes Connor yes' leaving him repeatedly, hips moving as much as he could. Then Connor wrecked him in a whole new way, his breath hitching. _

_ Our house. He heard our house, and holy shit if he wasn't so horny he'd be crying. Instead he whimpered, and then moved his hands to Connor's hair. "Fucking kiss me you angel-"  _

_ He wasn't waiting, leaning in to kiss him and running his hands down the other's face. When he has to pull back to breathe, he grins. "Put me down, I'm going to do a lot more than that." He was going to make sure he wasn't the only loud one tonight. _

He didn't know exactly what he had did, or said to get that reaction until he quickly pulled it up. He felt himself blush as he noticed the slip. 

He was so relieved that Gavin's response was positive. Positive was an understatement going by the burning kiss. 

He briefly heard a few curse words and a door slamming on the other side, but he really didn't care. Kyle could have stood there and listened the whole time and he wouldn't give a single fuck. 

He removed his hand, only so he could set Gavin down on his feet gently and smoothly. "So beautiful. I love you so much." 

_ Hearing the door slam, he almost thought 'his loss' because Connor always sounded angelic. Instead of focusing on him though, and the fact he was definitely hearing this from Audrey later, he focused on Connor. _

_ He felt how gentle and smooth the other was, but Gavin was like a lit fuse now. Being caught, feeling all this affection, being so riled up it hurt almost to let him pull away- nothing about him could be described as gentle. _

_ He wanted to pull Connor apart with his tongue til he got Connor to shake. In one fluid movement he pushed the other into the nearest wall, voice a deep rumble. "You're gonna need that support. And I love you too, my perfect, heroic angel." _

_ Then in one fluid movement, he sunk to his knees, mouthing at Connor's hips through his pants. "You let me know when it gets too much." _

Fuck, Gavin was so beautiful. The wall didn't have any purchase so he ran his hand through Gavin's hair, gripping it just slightly. The grip wouldn't impede any of Gavin's movements, but it would help keep Connor stable. 

"I doubt it will get too much that I'll want you to actually stop, but if it does I'll let you know." He smiled down at Gavin, doing his best to keep his hips still. 

He felt like his veins were on fire with want, seeing Gavin on his knee. He was already so hard from just kissing, the sounds Gavin made and getting caught. This definitely confirmed that he liked that. 

_ The grin he gave up to the other was something he knew could've been ripped out of a video. "That sounds a lot like a challenge, and I don't give up Con." With that he leaned up, hands clasped behind his back. He had to be careful, not bumping his nose, but he pulled down the other's pants with his teeth only. _

_ "Phck, I would never get tired of being like this for you." He took it slow for now, nipping and kissing his thighs, working his way up. While he knew how hard Connor was, he had his first goal. "And I know as much as you like this view, I need you to turn around. Unless you wanna wrap those legs around my neck." He tried to make his goal more obvious, licking as far back he could reach at this angle. _

They were both stubborn, and he was so glad of the fact in this moment. He knew Gavin wasn't the type to just stop after one time when he knew he could go longer. 

He felt himself whine when Gavin only used his teeth. He thankfully had enough willpower currently to keep his hips in place. Most of that came from the back that if he hurt Gavin's nose he'd throw himself off the building. 

He kept his eyes on Gavin, though it was hard not to close them as he let out soft sighs and moans at the kisses. 

He shuddered a bit and let go of Gavin's hair so he could turn around, keeping his legs wide. He wouldn't mind doing exactly what Gavin suggested, but maybe another time when his nose was fully healed.

_ Thinking about this for a moment, he realized he needed his hands or this would become painful in a way neither would like. So he slowly ran them up his legs, letting them stop at his hips. Thumbs dug in just a bit to pull and hold him open, and then his mouth met flesh. _

_ Teasing at first, he bit and nip, hands massaging, and he even stretched to leave a little heart that wouldn't stay. An idea coming to him, he let himself smirk against the skin, and began tracing his tongue and teeth in arrows. Getting close, pulling back, doing this repeatedly until he made a mess of the other. _

_ Hands pulling just a bit further, he started as low as he could, tongue flicking out and licking kitten licks just to tease. _

His hands rested against the wall, and he did worry about accidentally breaking it, so he turned down his strength just on his hands. 

Unlike humans, locking his knees didn't have any bad effects, so he could lock them without fainting. He had to to keep himself in place with everything Gavin was doing behind him. 

He couldn't keep quiet either, whining and panting out the other's name and a mix of other words. 

"Fuck, Gavin please!" He begged, eyes closed and only squirming just slightly. 

_ Almost chiding the other for locking his knees, he reminded himself there probably wasn't as much as there was for humans in doing so. Still, it was a very pretty picture when he pulled back. _

_ Of course when the other begged, the break stopped, and Gavin made a line of nip marks inwards, til his tongue hit the muscle. He still teased, knowing it would drive Connor nuts. A soft hum was Connor's only warning before his tongue pressed in. _

_ Forgetting for a moment that Connor tasted like fucking toasted sugar of all things, he whined as his hips shifted. "Keep still for me babe, I'm going to make you feel so good ok? Be good for me." A flick of his tongue before he resumed as he was beforehand. _

"Ah! Fuck," he practically shouted, head pressed firmly against the wall. He definitely would have at least cracked the wall with how hard he was trying to grip it if he hadn't turned his strength down a bit. 

He nodded his head and let out a soft whine, "I can. I can do that." He kept nodding his head, using every ounce of willpower not to move. 

"So good, fuck, I love you." He rambled. If he didn't ramble about Gavin he'd probably spit out random facts. "So beautiful, so good."

_ He stopped just to respond, grinning as he nipped at the other's ass while doing so. "I know you can. So good for me. So perfect." He moved back, squeezing with his hands and then adjusting himself. _

_ He loved how vocal Connor was, and while the urge to respond was strong, he channeled the energy into going further. He nipped very close to the muscles he was teasing, before his tongue resumed it's exploration. Each compliment got a soft hum, and each 'I love you' got a nip somewhere close. _

_ He had closed his eyes to focus on the other, trying to feel for when he was close. He did pull back, for a moment, to reassure the other. "Don't hold back Connor- worry about the mess later. It's going to get bigger before I'm done with you." A nip closer to his hand, and he went back to licking and pressing his tongue in. _

He could come, but he didn't want to, not yet. He had to keep his entire front pressed against the wall. At the nip he thankfully jerked his hips forward instead of back. He moaned at both the sudden pressure against him and from Gavin. 

He'd have to clean it, but he didn't mind. He was too focused on what Gavin was doing to care about much of anything. 

That did remind him, "what about you?" There was no way he wasn't going to get Gavin to come, but he didn't know when the other wanted to tonight. 

_ It was unfair how the other sounded so clear when he would've been a stuttering mess. Unfair, but so good, because he loved hearing the other. He pressed a bit further before pulling back to answer the question. _

_ "I'll be good for now. I wanna see how much I can get out of you." He appreciated the sentiment though, rubbing a circle into the other's skin with his right thumb before he leaned back in to litter the skin with nips. "I'll let you know, just let go of your worries and focus on staying still. The next movement will be punished." He had the perfect idea to do so as well. _

_ Shelving it for now, he went back to pressing his tongue in, dragging it out with a hum. He would curl his tongue as much as he could, a whine when his nose prevented him from going further.  _

Part of him really wanted to know what the punishment would be, but the other part wanted to be good. Either way would definitely be interesting. 

He felt his toes curl and a loud mewl came out at the feeling. He was ready to just bang his head against the wall from pleasure. "Fuck, Gavin!"

His hips twitched just slightly, and he didn't know if he wanted Gavin to notice or not. He probably would especially since his tongue was in him. 

_ There was such an intense feeling of pride at the mewl he heard, pushing just a bit further. A louder rumble, a near growl, at his name leaving the other. _

_ Then he felt the slightest twitch and smirked as he pulled away. "Tsk tsk babe. Count- to ten." Going to Connor's thigh, he nipped and waited for the 'one' to sound out, hands now massaging and thumbs so close he could slip with one good jerk and tease where his tongue had been.  _

_ He knew one command from Connor would have him giving up control easily, but for now he took it where the other gave it away. This was all to make Connor feel good, but he knew from experience that the 'punishment' would likely make Connor more eager for him to get on with it. _

He had a very good idea and was eager to see how it felt. It seemed that punishment wasn't exactly a real punishment as people enjoyed it. 

Obviously he's never had this done to him, so he wasn't sure if he'd like it, but he was very ready to try it. 

He did squirm a bit before trying to look back at Gavin. It stretched his neck a bit far for him to be able to see, so instead he rested his cheek against the wall. 

His voice was definitely shaky from want, but he tried to make it come out as clear as possible. "One." 

_ "Good." Kissing around, he wandered closer for the briefest moment before moving away, nipping further away. He did that again as well, moving to the other side with one teasing lick between. Waiting each time for Connor to count out a number, he nipped five more times like this. _

_ He of course felt the squirming, running his hand up and down the other's side once to calm him. "So damn gorgeous like this, squirming with want." He sucked a hickey somewhere, not leaving much damage cause he knew Connor was still healing. _

He had his healing on so each mark quickly faded away after Gavin left them. He was half tempted to turn it off so he could leave lasting marks, but he needed to keep it on. 

He sighed at Gavin's hand on his side but couldn't help but keep squirming at the nips. 

He counted out each time his voice progressively getting more and more shaky. "Hmph, Gavin, Gavin please!" He definitely wouldn't last much longer, even if he wanted to. 

_ There was another smirk at the pleas, hearing the way his voice shook. The last four nips were quicker, closer, Gavin humming when the last one was done. _

_ Sure, it sucked not seeing the marks, but this wasn't about that anyways. Seeing them disappear was also somewhat relieving. "You did so good. Proud of you for taking that so well. Are you gonna stay still for me now?"  _

_ He started to kiss up, around his hand, and one slow lick up. "The next time will be more." He warned, absolutely planning more in more than just a number. _

Connor nodded his head quickly, "yes! Yes, I'll be good, I'll stay still." He kept his hips still, against the wall. He keened at the praise, smiling mostly to himself but also to Gavin.

He definitely liked that punishment and wanted Gavin's tongue back in him. "Gavin, please. I love you so much, so close." He rambled, as he held himself tensely to stop himself from moving. 

_ "I love you too. Don't hold back remember." He gave one more soft kiss to beside his hand before it moved to push the muscles out of his way. A trail of kisses before his tongue was dragging slowly up, down- around. _

_ "So good for me. Deserve a damn medal." With that he pressed his tongue in, humming hard and then going back to teasing the muscle. He wanted to add his fingers, really open Connor up, but he wanted to get Connor to come with his tongue alone first. Well twice, actually. This way and turn Connor around, but he was getting ahead of himself. _

_ The thought had his hips shifting, very aware of how turned on his still was. He could wait for this though. _

It was so tempting to move again, but he kept still, panting heavily. If anyone deserved a model it was how well Gavin was taking him apart. 

"Fuck! Gavin," he whined as he completely tensed. He couldn't help the shudder that ripped through him as he came, sagging just slightly. 

His mind was foggy but he still didn't move away from the wall, leaning against it for as much support as he could get. He'd definitely need to clean the wall afterwards. 

_ There was so much happiness as Connor was reduced to panting, and Gavin could tell he was trying hard to not move. _

_ He pulled away when the other tensed, feeling the shudder in his hands. He rubbed the other's hips, trying to help him calm down. The whine was definitely stuck in his head, but he didn't do anything- yet. _

_ "Turn around babe." He nudged the other to turn, scooting down the wall as well so he wouldn't rest in the mess. "Back against the wall." He could worry about cleaning much afterwards, hoping he'd be the one to clean it. _

Connor took a few steadying breaths, closing his eyes briefly. It took him a few seconds before he was ready to move, and when he did he did as he was told. 

He carded his hands through Gavin’s hair, sighing happily at being able to see Gavin again. “You’re so beautiful, so good to me.” He mumbled, smiling at him. “How about you? What do you want?” 

Gavin had said he wanted to see how much he could get out of Connor, but he didn’t know what his exact plan was. He was completely content from just that, and would gladly do the exact same to Gavin if he wanted. 

_ Leaning into the hands, Gavin let his eyes close for a moment, enjoying the feeling. Then they were opening at the words. What Gavin wanted was to have Connor so blissed out he couldn't continue. Finding release during that was honestly something he couldn't care less about, though he doubt he would last if he got any contact. _

_ "I want to see how many times I can drive you over the edge Con." His hands rested back on his hips as he started to do kitten licks up Connor's thighs. Cleaning and making his way to his goal. "You have a down time babe?" To experiment, he licked towards to base. Even if Connor was a little over sensitive, he would be very gentle until he had the other riled up again. _

He leaned his head back to rest against the wall, but still watched Gavin, giving a small whine at the licks. “A-about thirty seconds, but before then I am hypersensitive just like a human would be.” He pulled Gavin’s hair just slightly hissing at the pleasure. 

“The amount of stimulation needed between each time,” he interrupted himself with a groan, “each time, will decrease. So, fuck, so it will take me less time to come.” He had to keep taking in deep breaths as his systems told him about his core temperature that was rising. “And each time I’ll need more recovery time.” 

That did bring up a thought, “am I allowed to move?”

_ Hearing the time, Gavin backed off for now, just rubbing his hips. He did hear how Connor was slightly losing it, and moved to press kisses along the top of his thighs. "Oh Connor, handsome, sweetheart- you are going to be a mess before tonight's done." _

_ He felt so damn excited at this, kissing and nipping his thighs until he finished counting down the thirty seconds. At the question, he nodded. "You are. I had to have you stay still then just cause of my nose, but you can move and touch as much as you like." For now. His brain was rampant with ideas, but this next round Gavin was fine with touching. _

_ His moved back to the other's length, licking one stripe down it before looking up to Connor. "Feeling good to continue?" _

Those thirty seconds definitely helped get his systems to cool down a bit. The last thing he needed was to completely overheat and have to momentarily shut down. Now his temperature was still high, but if he wanted to he could technically stop breathing. 

When Gavin said he could move he smiled and kept tugging on Gavin’s hair just slightly whenever he got to the tips of it after carding his hands through. 

After they were completely done he’d check on Gavin’s nose, just to make sure. He did download quite a lot of medical information that he hadn’t already come with, just in case. Simple things like broken bones he already knew how to take care of. 

At the lick he jolted just slightly, gripping Gavin’s hair. He was more sensitive than before, but he suspected that that wouldn’t go away until they were completely finished. “Yes, please keep going.” 

_ Gavin was weak to each little tug, a soft whimper as the other played with his hair. He loved when anyone would do that, in any situation. Unlike his neck which was always a turn on when messed with by anyone, his hair could be calming, could be a turn on, could be grounding- _

_ A thought for later. Right now he felt the grip as he got Connor to jolt and couldn't help the grin. He could piece together the other being more sensitive, and was very eager to see how bad that would get. "So good- asking politely and everything." He leaned in, starting to lick more earnestly, eyes focused on his work now. _

_ "Is there anything you'd like me to do specifically Con?" He was asking to tease, but also, if the other wanting Gavin to focus somewhere, he would. He did get the idea of asking Connor to strip to his chassis, but he didn't know if the other was comfortable enough right now doing that. _

“Anything, you, just please don’t stop.” He gave a bit of a sharper tug sighing happily.The skin on his hands pulled away without him even thinking about it and it did cause a soft gasp from him at the sudden change. 

He rolled his hips forward, trying to get more friction, more of Gavin. “You’re so perfect, Gav, so amazing.” The nickname slipped out but he didn’t think to correct himself. He was too focused on Gavin on his knees and the feeling of his tongue against him. 

_ "Oh you have all of me." He rumbled at the tug, and flattened his tongue, cleaning Connor completely. The idea died off his tongue as Connor rolled his hips, and the other slipped against his lips. _

_ Gavin sucked hard towards the base, humming as well, before he pulled back completely to take the head in his mouth. Eyes focusing up towards Connor now, he hollowed his cheeks and in one movement took the other to the base. He went very red in the face at how easy that was becoming again. _

_ Then he pulled back, taking a moment to steady his breathing before he went back to licking. _

Connor kept his eyes locked on Gavin, his hips twitching. He was sure that he was going to pull Gavin’s hair out with just how hard he was gripping him. He chocked on a moan when Gavin went to the base. It felt like he couldn’t even suck in any air, but he thankfully didn’t need to either. 

“Fuck,” He managed to get out, trying to sooth Gavin’s hair when he pulled back. He did let out a soft whine at that, but moaned the others name when he went back to licking. 

“So good, you’re so good at this.” His head fell down, chin resting on his chest as he watched Gavin. Not everyone would be able to take him all the way, mostly because someone at Cyberlife thought it was a wonderful idea to make him larger than average. 

He also knew facts about that, but kept most of them in, but a few did slip out. “The average erection is 5.6 inches long.” Then he clamped his mouth shut, cringing at himself. If he had to spit out any fact why did it have to be that one?

_ If one day Gavin found a bald spot because of all the hair pulling, he was going to laugh his ass off. Hopefully that wouldn't happen though. He smirked a bit as the other cursed and whined. _

_ Connor was so damn beautiful like this, hands revealing, blue to his skin, looking blissed out. Gavin found himself getting lost for a minute just admiring the other, and went red as he thought the other would've caught him, channeling the energy into sucking the tip with a hum. _

_ Then he choked- trying to inhale air at the sudden info-slip with his lips already occupied. He was very happy he didn't have the other fully in his lips, able to pull off with an audible noise. He broke out into a damn giggle, breath ghosting over the other's length. "Guess you're well above average in everything huh?" _

_ He went back to licking, wanting to see how far he'd get before Connor would ask for more. _

Connor’s face heated up, and he did have to look away for a second. He knew he’d probably spit out more facts but at least Gavin seemed to not have a negative reaction to it. 

He shivered when Gavin pulled off, soothing his hair knowing he’d be pulling it again. “You are also above average.” He points out, looking back down at Gavin. 

When Gavin licked him again he went back to tugging on his hair, hips twitching forward. He kept his back flat against the wall, though. “The world’s largest erection is 13.5 inches. Fuck, sorry. More, please!” He begged, sighing out Gavin’s name.

_ Oh it was hard to not make a snarky comment there, turning bright red instead. He knew he was, not by much, but curiosity led him to look things up before. _

_ He couldn't help but whine at the tugging and the twitching. The next fact didn't cause him to choke but he couldn't stop the amused smile. He pulled away to chide him, squeezing his hips. "Don't be sorry for a thing. I'll tell you if I have a problem with anything... I'm considering it a win to get you to ramble again." _

_ With that, he took the other back into his mouth, pushing his head slowly down on Connor's length, humming as he did. He set a slow pace, suction pulling back, humming pushing in. He kept his tongue flat, pushing up onto the underside. He thought again about if the other would glow. _

"Men have between three to five erections per night. Fuck! Fuck, Gavin," he grunted, rolling his hips forward when Gavin would go back down. 

"Oral sex typically leads to a larger erection than other types of arousal methods." He was so glad Gavin was ok with his facts, but they were coming out quicker and more shaky the closer he got. 

He definitely wouldn't be much longer with what Gavin was doing. "Gavin, so amazing, and perfect. I'm gonna come soon." He warned.

_ Gavin was so, so glad his mouth was otherwise occupied. He had so many comebacks and quips, curiosity too, to the facts that were easy to push aside. Especially with the way Connor's hips rolled forward.  _

_ The one time he groaned as he took Connor further than planned, his own want shivering through him. His fingers dug in just a little harder and he sucked a little stronger in response to that. _

_ Thinking of how to encourage that without removing himself from around Connor, he pressed in, taking the other fully again. And then he looked up to the other and swallowed around the tip, picking up the pace as he kept his eyes upwards. _

"Scientists speculate that the head of a human penis-fuck!" He couldn't finish the fact as the rest of it turned into grunts, pants and moans. That didn't stop him from talking, though. 

It was a humble of 'I love you' and 'Gavin'. He kept rocking into Gavin's mouth, hands tight in Gavin's hair. 

It didn't take too much longer for Connor to completely tense again. "Gavin, fuck, coming!" He managed to get out before coming in Gavin's mouth. 

There was a sharp tug on Gavin's hair before he slowly relaxed, sagging even more. 

_ There was a part of him deeply glad he didn't finish that fact, and proud he couldn't. The hands kept getting tighter and Gavin whined in response. _

_ Remembering Connor said about it taking less time each round they kept going, it didn't surprise him too much that Connor was already tensing. He swallowed of course, whining loudly at the tug. He made sure to pull off before the other became too sensitive. _

_ Catching his breath, he sat back and admired how the other sagged. He planned this idea to be in a bed, not less than a foot away from his front door, and in the plan Connor would've just laid there, letting Gavin massage him between rounds. He couldn't reach like this however. "Do you want to move Con? You look like you're about to slide down the wall." _

He had to take a few seconds again to breath, cooling himself down. "It'll take about forty seconds this time." 

If they did anything else on the wall he'd probably be on the ground once they were done. 

"Bed sounds good, or couch, or anywhere where I'm not standing." His legs were shaky as he pushed himself up. He could still work, but he doubted he'd be able to by the end of the night. 

That did he remind him, he sent a quick text to Hank telling him he would be home that night, but he'd come by in the morning for clothes for work. 

Thankfully Hank didn't question it, just sent an ok, and left it at that. He pulled Gavin up and kissed him as passionately as he could on the mouth. "I love you so much."

_ Forty seconds- Gavin could bless and punch whatever power made Connor so durable like this. He knew he could go two, maybe three if he was in the right space for it, rounds in succession but it was- an experience and one he'd definitely have to talk through yet. _

_ That reminded him, when Connor was ready, they needed to have another talk. "Bed- I plan for you to not be able to walk by the time I'm done." He went to get up, but the other was already ahead of him, pulling him into a kiss Gavin eagerly responded to. He pressed himself into the other, hands slipping to his ass and pulling him closer. _

_ "I love you too, with all my heart. Now walk with me- I'd carry you but I really don't think I can right now." He chuckled at that, leaning into the other for another kiss before walking back.  _

_ He could clean up the mess later. _

"I love you with all my thirium pump," he chuckled and gave another quick peck. 

He wrapped his arms around Gavin, keeping him close as they walked the short distance to the bedroom. 

He sat down on the bed and smiled at Gavin. He still felt blissful, but he was also incredibly excited to see what Gavin would do next. "How do you want me?"

_ 'Cheesy little shit,' he couldn't help the grin at that, returning kisses along the other's jaw and neck. _

_ As they got to the bedroom, Gavin wasted no time in sinking back to his knees. "Like this is fine for now- I'll have you scoot up in a bit." Actually, he reached for the pillows, dragging two down to place behind Connor in case he laid back and wanted to see what Gavin was doing. _

_ Experimenting then, unsure of how sensitive Connor was, he ran his hand up from the other's knee to his hips, then lightly took his finger down the other's length. "Too much," came the soft question, Gavin looking up to the other. _

He was very tempted to offer Gavin a pillow for his knees when he sank down, but figured Gavin would get one if he needed it. 

He shivered at the touch, leaning back just slightly and holding part of his weight on his hands. 

He was even more sensitive than before, but not too much. "Good, still good." He nodded quickly. 

_ Thoughts of biting, running fingernails down, trailing ice- everything possible filled his head seeing the other's stomach clench and move as he leaned, and Gavin whined softly with want. _

_ Instead of focusing on that then, he worked his way through teasing Connor. One finger, up and down. Then two. Then his thumb- light touches til the other was firm again. When his hand fully wrapped around the other, he shifted in place a couple times, and licked at the head. _

_ The idea and wonder if Connor glowed even here never left though. It was driving him nuts. "Connor... Do you think- Could we find out if you glow here too?" A squeeze, tongue dipping into the tip to collect whatever he could and tease him further. "See how sensitive you'll become?" _

He gently touched Gavin's face, tracing the lines of his skull. He ran his thumb over Gavin's lower lip, letting out sighs and moans at Gavin's ministrations. 

He wiggled a bit as Gavin touched him, head falling back instead of forward this time.

He did look back at Gavin when he asked. He'd already shown him his face without skin, but he was still nervous. He knew Gavin loves him, including what was under the skin, but that didn't start the part in himself that wished he was human. 

He knew he could say no, and Gavin wouldn't push. He also knew that he could ask to stop at any time, and that confidence was what ultimately led him to nod his head. 

"Yeah, we can. As you already know," he moaned at the tongue, and tried to focus a bit, "it'll look different and be different texture." He honestly didn't know if he'd glow, but he couldn't find a reason why he wouldn't. 

So he deactivated the skin, hissing a bit at the sudden change. He watched Gavin closing for his reaction. He had brought his hand down at some point, but now it was back on Gavin's face, just holding him. He also turned his strength completely back on in his hands.

_ Gavin was patient, staying still while he waited for the other to adjust. He knew the other was hesitant, and was fully ready to drop the topic, glad Connor trusted him as far as he did. _

_ When the other agreed however, Gavin couldn't stop the small smile. "Still very much you though." When the skin finally faded away, Gavin couldn't stop from noticing how warm he was. Nearly too warm, it was a new feeling, and this was all very new to Gavin. Still, his tongue flicked at the tip, hand moving down it. _

_ He glowed, which Gavin couldn't help but smile about. Then grin about, looking up to Connor with mischief in his eyes. "In a good position for an image handsome?" His voice was a very low purr, hand settling at the base and holding Connor in place. _

He felt his heart swell (metaphorically because if his thirium pump was to actually swell like that he'd have a problem) at Gavin's reaction. 

Connor felt himself chuckle at the sight of his dick glowing. He wasn't sure why it made him giggle, but it did. 

Then Gavin licked him and a few random warning signs popped up. He dismissed them when they weren't too important and focused on Gavin. 

"Fuck! Fuck, shit, fuck!" He practically shouted. He felt everything so much more and it was dizzying. 

He panted as he looked down at Gavin, not having realized he had closed his eyes. 

He'd always be able to look back on this as long as his memories weren't damaged, and that sent a spark of joy down him. Human memories were very sensitive and could easily disappear while his were practically forever. 

"Fuck, you're beautiful. Feels so good." Gavin could record him and send it to whoever he wanted for all he cares at this point (as long as it wasn't Hank, obviously). 

He didn't seem to have a filter as he told him just that. 

_ Oh that sensitivity was going to wreck Connor. He was almost upset this next week they were going to be busy, because this new sensitivity would be so fun to play with. Then again, after these past few days, a break might be good for Gavin. He always became riled up after a while of no contact. _

_ "I'll remember that for later- however, right now- keep your eyes on me." There was one more grin before Gavin held him firmly- then took him slowly into his mouth. He really hoped that it glowed strong enough to show how far he could take the other. _

_ He- really shouldn't have thought of that, his eyes going lidded as he whined around the other and took him completely. He waited for the other to get a good image, but his hips moved slightly, wanting to do anything for contact. _

He wanted to tilt his head back again, but he did as he was told and kept his eyes on Gavin. He let out a string of curses and jumbled words as Gavin took him in. 

He could see himself in Gavin's mouth. He glowed bright enough for that and he could see himself in Gavin's mouth. "Fuck, Gavin. I glow bright enough-" it was coming out shaky but he managed to get "fuck I can see myself," before he could barely speak. 

He moved his hand back from Gavin's face so he could grip the bed, once again having to turn down his strength. 

_ Gavin's reaction was immediate, moaning to the idea and pulling off him before he would need to pause because it was too much. His hand resumed moving, faster now and his tongue teased around the tip. _

_ "When we're both all healed up babe, we're doing this again and I wanna get video." So many thoughts of Connor holding his head in place and moving his glowing self as he pleased had him shaking for a moment, swallowing hard. "Here I'll let you choose, on me, or in again? If you can choose." _

_ Gavin was almost entranced with the blue glowing between his fingers, and while it felt so different- it felt good too. "Phck you look so amazing Con." _

His hips jolted forward when Gavin moaned around him, moaning out the other's name. He started to whine when Gavin pulled away but was cut off when his hand moved. 

He felt the rumbling start up again and didn't even bother trying to push it down. "Yes, yes that's, yes." He said, nodding his head. He liked the idea of Gavin watching it on nights he wasn't there. 

He was also really fucking happy that this was something they could do. That he could expose himself, something that was typically very private because of how sensitive it was, and Gavin be just as excited as he would be with skin on. 

"You in me, and you are gorgeous. I love you so, so much." He wanted to kiss Gavin and never stop. He also wanted to fuck him, and be fucked by him and many other things.

_ Hearing the purring start up, getting loud when the other spoke, he felt his heart stutter at how the other could do something so cute while managing to look so wrecked. _

_ He kept at this, his other hand moving between his legs. He had a plan of attack and couldn't help but grin as Connor thought he was anywhere near done with him. "All in due time, I meant- where do you want to come handsome. Do you want my lips around you or do you want to make a mess?" Kisses delivered to his length, he waited a moment to reply. _

_ "I love you too, getting close again?" _

His brain was foggy from all the pleasure but if he could he would have chuckled at himself. "Right, fuck I'm definitely close." 

His hips kept moving at the feeling. He was leaning back, but curled forward. "In you, your mouth. Please!" He was practically sobbing with want, trying to move his hips in time with Gavin. 

He knew he'd make more of a mess later, but he wanted to see what it would look like to glow inside his mouth again, and come. 

_ The hand wrapped around him never slowed, Gavin using the other to start easing into the other. One finger for now, he just teased with it. "So good- I'll give you everything you want Con." _

_ Making good on his word, he wrapped his mouth around the other and held Connor's hip down. His pace was slow, humming and softly pressing his teeth against the chassis, just for a second, before taking Connor into his mouth fully. _

He groaned at the finger, trying to wiggle his hips closer. It was all so much with Gavin's mouth around him, not having skin there and Gavin's finger that he was practically vibrating. 

That did give him an idea. Could he make his fingers vibrate? He knew the Tracis could, but sex was what they were originally built for. 

He couldn't think about that much longer as he felt himself completely stiffen up again, coming in Gavin's mouth. He did it right as Gavin had taken him all the way down and that's what did him in, being able to see himself. 

_ Every little wiggle and noise was beautiful, Gavin would've smirked if he could. The other glowed so much and Gavin wondered for a brief moment if Connor would remain lit up when he pulled back. _

_ He couldn't focus on that though, feeling the other tense so suddenly and his attention on swallowing around him. Now was time to see how Connor reacted to the sensitivity. He paid extra attention to listening for 'yellow' or 'red', in case it was too much, but said nothing. _

_ Instead he started to ease another finger in as he slowly pulled off. Taking a moment to just breathe and admire, he licked up the length once, knowing Connor wouldn't recover for at least a minute now. _

"Fuck, a least a minute now," he whined. Instead of pulling back like before Gavin kept going and it felt amazing. 

It was so much at once that it was overpowering any other thoughts. He forgot to breathe for a second. His skin on his hands glitched for a short second before he regained control. 

He finally took a deep breath of air in when Gavin licked him. He didn't know if he wanted to get closer or farther away, so he just curled into himself more. 

"Gavin!" His voice came out slightly mechanical at the end. 

_ So many words collided in his head with how beautiful Connor was. Glitching slightly, unable to breathe or focus. His free hand moved to the other's stomach, making sure he wasn't overheating, and he reminded himself to get the other a cooled cloth after all this. _

_ Seeing how Connor curled inwards and hearing the mechanical note to his voice made him grin, and he continued to run his tongue over the other. His fingers moved and stretched, gently and slowly, and he sucked along the side of him. _

_ "You're so damn handsome Connor," he paused, focusing towards the tip now. Just in case though, since he didn't know if the way his voice warped was a good thing or not... "Color Con?" _

He did try to keep his eyes open, but they were unfocused. It was captivating to be able to feel every little detail of Gavin's tongue. 

He was now pushing back into Gavin's hand as much as he could. "Green! Definitely green, more please," he pleaded.

He loved the slowness, but it was driving him crazy. He wanted Gavin in him and was half tempted to just pull him up so he could do just that. 

He didn't though, instead keeping his hands in a tight grip on the bed, doing his best not to rip Gavin's sheets. 

He planned on trying prolonged overstimulation with Gavin one day if he wanted to. He definitely would like to do this again after tonight. 

_ "Good- so good I'll give you more don't worry." He kept shifting his fingers, slowly adding a third one while licking at the tip. When a minute passed, Gavin wrapped his free hand around Connor's length. _

_ "Think you can come one more time before I enter you? From my hands alone?" His voice was teasing, looking to the sheets as Connor gripped them. He wanted to nudge them to his shoulders or his hair, spare his blankets(he had just changed them from the last time, his laundry was going to suffer), but that required moving his hands away. _

_ Feeling his own need between his legs, he wouldn't mind just seeing how many rounds Connor would last before he broke, but it was up to Connor right now. _

He could tell when the minute was up by his senses dulling a bit. Once he again he was slightly more sensitive than before. 

His vision was back to being completely clear, and he knew his voice would also be back to normal too. 

The rumbling hadn't stopped either, instead it just seemed to get louder. It was deep and felt like it came from his chest instead of his throat. 

"I can," he said, nodding his head quickly. If he kept his skin off the whole time for the rest of this then the night was going to end fairly quickly. 

_ Voice normal, Gavin was betting he wasn't over-sensitive anymore. The rumbling he noticed was louder and he really couldn't wait to hold him close, feel the rumbling between them. _

_ "You've been so good for me tonight Con. So good and beautiful, I love you so much sweetheart." He kissed everywhere he could now, each word getting a soft compliment. He watched the glow again, bright between his fingers and fuck- he was definitely suggesting he would ride Connor like this. _

Connor let go on the bed to run his hands across Gavin's shoulders and as far down his back as he could reach in this position. 

"I love you so, so much. You're, fuck, you're perfect," he said, grinning to the other. 

Gavin hit that one spot and Connor's back arched, dragging his nails up Gavin's back. He didn't dig his fingers in enough to draw blood, but he probably left a mark. "Fuck!" 

_ "So are you, Con." Gavin leaned up and in, as far as he could, because the slight touch had him sighing. He noticed the grin when he moved and if he could've, he would've kissed the other. _

_ Instead he focused on where his fingers curved, and started to massage that spot. The nails dragging up his back had him letting out a gasped groan, hips bucking without meeting anything. "Phck that felt good Connor. Keep your hands on me, please." He knew he was in control, but he still felt the need to ask nicely. _

_ His hand sped up a bit, curling and hitting that spot repeatedly but the hand stroking him stayed slow, letting Connor move into it as he pleased. _

He nodded his head, and couldn't help the fleeting smirk at the please. It didn't last long as his face quickly contorted into one of pure pleasure.

He did as Gavin asked though, keeping his hands on Gavin's back. He kept clawing at him, but always in slightly different spots just so he didn't actually tear skin. His back would definitely be very red. 

The speed difference was driving him crazy. He kept rolling his hips up as much as he could in this position.

He moaned and panted out Gavin's name, trying to get as much friction as he could. "Faster, Gavin please go faster!"

_ 'Fuck!' His whole body twitched and shook with each scratch, Gavin closing his eyes for a moment and just feeling everything. _

_ It didn't last long though as the other was rolling his hips up and Gavin opened them to focus on what he was doing. As much as he wanted to just let Connor scratch him up, he had other goals. Connor was squirming under his hands and he was not going to miss a second of this. _

_ At the pleas, Gavin did speed up, just a bit, careful not to move too fast. Both because he was actually worried the glowing would glitch and he turn Connor into a literal glowstick- and because the chassis wasn't as giving as skin. Sure the other was slick from several rounds already, but Gavin didn't really have a hand to reach for the lube yet. _

He didn't know he'd be so vocal, but he didn't really care currently. He really only cared about Gavin and what he was doing to him. 

Gavin could reach up and pull his thirium pump out and he probably would only pause for a second. That was mostly on him trusting him enough to put it back, but whatever. 

He kept scratching at Gavin's back in a variety of pressure. Once again it doesn't take long until Connor is close. 

His hips no longer have a rhythm as he tries to rock up. He keeps mumbling Gavin's name, wanting to press kisses all over him. "Close, I'm close again."

_ Those four words had Gavin moving back slightly, making internal bets on what this would look like. "Then come for me, let me see my handsome man fall apart again. Then I'll give you what you really want alright?" _

_ Eyes scanning up now, he watched at the other arched and moved. He could feel how warm he was becoming. "So handsome, so perfect and wonderful. Come on Con, how loud are you gonna be this time?" His voice was a rumble now. _

He whined and nodded his head. "Yes, yes, fuck. Gavin." He mewled, pushing back on Gavin's hand while also trying to rock up. 

He arched his back as he came, scraping up Gavin's back harsher than before. He groaned loudly, not bothering to try to be quiet.

He panted and curled into himself as he shuttered, murmuring 'I love you's. 

_ There was a growl from the harsh scratch, and Gavin nearly curled into the bed. Instead he whined at the prickle down his back, and focused on Connor. _

_ This time he let him recover, removing himself completely to grab something some tissues and lube. He wiped himself off, then moved his arms under Connor to adjust him to lay down. "How you feeling? Sounding pretty close to falling asleep." _

_ Now close enough, he kissed the other's cheek and jaw while opening the bottle. "You sure you wanna keep going?" _

He laid back with a content sigh. "Two minutes this time." He murmured. He shivered at the cold, and pulled Gavin close. 

He pressed kisses all over his face, running his hands softly across the red scratches. 

"I feel amazing. You are so wonderful and good. How are you? How are you feeling?" He pressed more kisses, but started to kiss down his neck, feather light. 

"As for continuing, yes please. Let's keep going." He didn't exactly know how many more times he could go, but he was excited to find out. 

_ "Damn- two minutes huh? Want me to start now or would that be too much?" He happily stayed close, kissing back when he could and shivering at the hands over his back. _

_ "I'm feeling like I want you so damn badly." There was a soft chuckle and then a groan at the feather light kisses. He felt himself become sensitive, want coursing through him repeatedly. _

_ "You are so much and I love you so much- phck-" He adjusted himself to be above the other. "Lemme know when you're ready babe." _

He reached down and gave Gavin's ass a playful squeeze, pulling away just enough so he could smile at Gavin. "Not sure if I've said this before, but you have a very nice ass." 

He did think for a second, "you can start, just slowly." He went back to pressing kisses wherever he could. 

"Love you, so much. More than I ever thought I could." He whispered, nuzzling at Gavin's neck. Before going deviant he never thought he'd have something like this. 

_ Gavin jumped a bit, hips making an aborted motion to push back before he stilled. "Listen here you tease- thank you, I work on it, but also quit that." He leaned down to gently nip at his jaw. _

_ Given permission, he slicked himself up, shaking with want to just move. However the words threw him off, as well as the nuzzle. "Me and you both babe. I- I adore you so much, didn't think I'd feel this much for someone ever again. I'm happy it's you, a guy I trust with my life. Now." _

_ Gavin moved his free hand down to Connor's hip. "As much as I can ramble about you all night, I have a goal to make you completely lose it tonight." He positioned himself and leaned down for a kiss. "I wonder how many more rounds you got." _

He chuckled at the nip, giving one on Gavin's neck right back. Then pressed a kiss to the same spot. 

He hummed happily, going back to running his hands over Gavin's skin. This time he didn't just focus on Gavin's back, but moved around and found each scar. 

"I can come at most two more times before it has the same effects." He knew in the future he could possibly go longer especially if he had an extra amount of thirium in him to spare. 

He moved a hand up to hold Gavin's neck to pull him into a deep kiss, moaning into it. 

_ There was a soft whine at the nip, Gavin's hips stuttering. He knew where Connor's hands were going, and maybe one night he'd tell the story of each he remembered.  _

_ "Two more times- phck." There was a breathless chuckle as he started to push in. "Guess I'll- ah- have to try and last then." He was determined to make Connor blissed out, pamper the other completely. _

_ The brief thought crossed him of buying a sybian or an egg vibrator and teasing the other all day, making a game out of it- plans for later he supposed. He was distracted and kept still by the kiss, whining back and kissing Connor hard. His free hand had to hold himself up, and the other held Connor's hips. _

He would have cursed incredibly loudly I'd he wasn't kissing Gavin. Instead he kissed him with bruising force, eyes closed. 

He tensed for a second before relaxing, pulling back so Gavin could breathe. He also needed to breathe because his core temperature was rising and he really didn't want to burn Gavin. 

"I'm sure you can accomplish it, after all it won't take me long." He couldn't help the small smirk. He wasn't lying though, it definitely wouldn't take long for him to come again once Gavin started to move.

Once again he wondered if his asshole would glow. Did his insides glow too? The thought of Gavin's dick in him and making him glow almost made him snort. 

_ He knew he didn't need to- Connor wasn't human, he didn't need time to adjust, he was fine- this wasn't even their first time. It was still instinct to wait though, leaning down to kiss at the other's skin. _

_ "I don't know if you're trying to be a tease, over-confident, or just being genuine with that tone and smirk." He moved to kiss the other again, feeling the tingle in his lips and he didn't mind. Maybe he'd flat out go all out with make-up tomorrow, since he was covering up his nose anyways. _

_ Pushing away the thoughts of tomorrow, he rolled his hips once, and he couldn't think of anything as he short circuited. There was a low groan, Gavin's head falling to rest on Connor's shoulder. He mumbled a bunch of words, mixing them together. "Can I move?" _

"Yes." He raised one eyebrow before chuckling and kissing Gavin. He rubbed soothing circles onto his neck, knowing it would be very sore tomorrow. It would also look like a vampire attacked him. 

At the question he felt the snarkiness come up before he could stop himself, "I don't know, can you?" 

He hooked a leg around Gavin, and rolled his hips up, whissing at the feeling. "Fuck! Yes, you can move, please move." He was so sensitive just from the amount of times he already came. 

_ "You sassy fucking twunk," Gavin's voice was warm, breathless but amused. The circles had felt nice, but he didn't mind the marks on his neck. Tina absolutely knew his thing for being choked, and if anyone else commented, he'd tell them to fuck off. _

_ The thought again disappeared as Connor's leg wrapped around him, and Gavin resisted bucking into the other. "Thank you," came the mumbled reply and he pulled back slowly. He focused on Connor's face, wanting to watch the other.  _

_ That and if he looked down to see glowing against his stomach he'd giggle. The other put him in a playful mood and he didn't want to laugh at the adorable way the other glowed. _

He kept the skin deactivated on his dick, mostly because he couldn't really think about much. 

"You love me," he smiled, leaning up to kiss Gavin. He keeps him close by giving his neck a squeeze, not too hard though. He still remembered the feeling of choking Gavin, and not in the good way.

There are obvious differences between choking for sexual pleasure and choking to kill. For pleasure you apply pressure to the carotid artery (side of the neck). What was a bad idea would be grabbing the windpipe.

He did pull back for a second, though. "You don't have to go slow." He uses his leg to pull Gavin down as he rolls his hips up. As he does this he licks a small strip up Gavin's neck. 

_ "With all my heart." He kissed back, groaning and bucking just slightly at the squeeze. He broke the kiss with a sigh of 'phck yes', obviously not having any fear as he pushed back on the other's hand. _

_ Gavin had to tell Connor eventually why he was so calm about all this, but right now he was focused on the way Connor pulled him in. The stripe to his neck actually got a small growl. "Just being safe," was a breathless reply, and Gavin now focused on properly moving. _

_ He still kept the pace gentle, rolling into Connor and aiming for the same spot he hit with his fingers. It wasn't fast or slow, enough that Gavin was a bit breathless as he let out soft whispers of the other's name. That eventually melted into mumbles of 'I love you' and 'so beautiful, so handsome'. _

Once again him squeezing Gavin's neck got a good reaction. So he took the small risk and squeezed a bit harder. 

He nodded his head. It was much better to be safe than something going wrong. Hence why safewords were a thing. 

He rolled his hips up in time when Gavin came down. His breath caught when Gavin once again found the spot. 

"Fuck, right there," He groaned. The skin around his hips glitched momentarily before he regained control, only letting his chassis show where Gavin was holding him. 

_ Letting out a louder groan at the next squeeze, his hips bucked in response. He was glad the other was gaining his confidence, but he wasn't going to last long if the other kept that up. _

_ Finding the spot again, Gavin sped up, watching the way his skin glitched. He wished he had more hands- he wanted to feel Connor up, wanted to hold him closer and stroke him, he wanted to override Connor's sensors. He settled with holding his hips tighter and pressing his chest down onto Connor's. Muffling himself and making use of his mouth, he kissed and nipped at his shoulders, avoiding his healing arm. _

"Ah! Gavin, shit. I'm not...I'm going to come again soon." He panted. He kept rolling his hips in time, but they were shakier than before. The skin pulled back where their chest touched and that almost did him in. 

He helped at the nip and tilted his head, baring his neck for more access. He hadn't meant to do that, but didn't mind the involuntary action. He kept his grip on Gavin's neck the same amount of pressure. 

He didn't feel confident enough to squeeze any more, but maybe one day soon he would. "You feel so good." 

_ "Good- do you want me to stop when you do sweetheart?" He didn't know how much more oversensitivity Connor could take, but he'd stop immediately if Connor needed him to. _

_ He of course took the hint to move further, leaving small marks that faded quickly. He looked for the more sensitive areas to focus on, and soon his own gasps and curses were let out against Connor's skin. He was getting close himself, but he was determined to ride Connor out as long as he could. _

_ He'd answer Connor if he could, but instead just let out the smallest whine, hoping the other could feel it in his hand. _

Connor could barely think but he nodded his head. "Yes, but…but don't have to completely stop touching me." He was doing his best to focus, but he was slowly losing control over his skin. 

The parts that didn't need as much protection normally slowly glitched out. The skin on his ass, most of his arms, back of his neck, face and back stayed. Everything else glitched as he came. 

He whined and arched his back, his artificial semen getting on both of them. His mind went blank for only a second before he could breathe and think again. 

_ Gavin stilled when the other came, thankfully distracted enough by the glitching of his skin to not lose himself there as well. Even as Connor went tight around him and he let out a deep growl, biting down just a bit harder at the feeling. _

_ When he pulled back, his one hand trailed over white chassis, feeling the exposed area and trying to focus on anything but the way his hips twitched. "Fucking beautiful, gorgeous, handsome, so damn breathtaking- ah." His fingers pressed down, gently running fingernails over his chassis before his head fell forward. _

_ He focused on evening out his breathing, face red from all the pleasure he felt. He could tell Connor just stopped existing for a moment, and while he was so damn proud, his own head was pretty foggy with want. _

Connor whined at the nails on his chassis, but he liked the feeling. Though it probably felt weird for Gavin.

Connor had to blink a few times before he could finally refocus. When he did he gladly took in the sight of Gavin on top of him. He could still feel him in himself and part of him wanted to move. 

He didn't, knowing it would probably be too much for both of them. He gently ran his hand up and down Gavin's back in a-hopefully- soothing manner. 

"Three minutes," he mumbled, pressing a kiss to Gavin's cheek. He knew those three minutes were going to feel like eternity. 

_ He wasn't really focusing on the feeling, it was more a reaction of trying to grip but nothing there to grip onto. _

_ Grey met brown and Connor was so lucky Gavin had a wounded nose- he would've so tried to kiss the air out of Connor right then. The hand felt good but Gavin felt too much, whining as he tried to keep from shifting away. _

_ Three minutes was absolutely going to feel like an eternity, Gavin letting out the softest groan at the timer. "This might be the last round I can last Con, keeping still right now is- 98 percent of my brain as it is." Of course the other two percent was watching Connor, adoring the way he looked like this. _

Connor stilled his hands, and just rested them on Gavin's back. The rest of him was almost completely relaxed, but his legs were still wrapped around Gavin. 

He couldn't help the small chuckle that got out at the way they were laying. "I'm a koala." 

"I also believe this will be the last time for me as well." He pressed another kiss to Gavin's cheek. 

He loved the warmth that Gavin created, so different then the cold he had felt in that garden. He felt safe in Gavin's arms. That was an odd thought as he could easily take care of himself. But he pushed the thought away. 

"You're so beautiful," Connor mumbled sighing happily. "I love you more than I love being able to eat." He pulled Gavin as close to him as possible for a hug. 

What he forgot to account for was Gavin still in him. He gasped at the feeling and accidentally scratched at Gavin's back again. "Fuck, sorry," he groaned, not moving an inch.

_ There was a 'how dare you' look sent to Connor as the snicker had him moving just slightly and whining after. "I'm going to have to work on getting to the point I can just carry you." _

_ His voice was breathless, but he still leaned into the kiss, turning his head to try and return it gently. "The highest praise. I love you more than Doa- but don't tell her that. She'll kick both of our aH-" _

_ Gavin's voice suddenly cut off, the combined movement and scratches causing him to keen. His hand on Connor's hip yet squeezed hard and there was a shiver in him as he tried to remain completely still. "Connor holy fuck babe, please, don't move or let me move or anything, so good but I won't last if you keep doing that." _

"Sorry, sorry," he mumbled, keeping completely still, not even breathing. That felt so amazingly good, but it also sent a slow tidal wave of shocks up his body. He could feel each little shock in his wires, which was very odd. 

It wasn't unpleasant but it did cause a small gasp when it happened in more important wires. He was doing everything he could to stay still and not wiggle around. 

He wanted to giggle about Gavin saying he loves him more than Doa but he stays still, completely stiff. He's never been good at staying still (or following directions). 

His hips twitch involuntarily and he almost screams at the pleasure. "Fuck it. Move, please. I can't, I can't wait any longer." He begs, clawing at Gavin's back again. 

_ It was almost concerning how still he went, but Gavin understood it was Connor doing his best. He rubbed his thumb in a soothing circle, hoping it would give Connor something to focus on. _

_ Then the other twitched and Gavin wished he could have recorded that sound. "Alright- just tell me if I need to stop Con." He leaned in to kiss him, a stronger shake in him at the clawing. He made sure to keep it slow, knowing the other had to be extremely over-sensitive by this point. _

_ Moving both his hands back to his hips, he squeezed once before looking up to Connor's face. "You also can tell me when to speed up, when you can handle it." _

He nodded his head, and had to close his eyes. It was like he could feel every single air particle, and smell every scent. 

He buried his face in Gavin's shoulder, taking in deep shaky breaths. He focused on Gavin's scent to try to stay grounded. 

He smelled of sweat, but Connor didn't mind. He could also faintly smell his own soap on him. Androids didn't really have their own scents, so his was just a combination of soaps and what his environment had. 

He could feel the muscles on Gavin's back move as he did, and oddly enough he could feel the blood moving in his veins. 

He whimpered when Gavin moved slowly, his hips twitching up. He wanted more but he also wanted the world to stop. "Stop, fuck, no don't stop. Please don't stop," he pressed kisses to Gavin's neck and shoulder. 

_ At the 'stop' Gavin did as told, even if his body shook doing so. But then the other asked him to continue so Gavin did, slower than before, soft gasping leaving him as did so. He had noticed how the other seemed to be blocking off his own senses, closing his eyes and burying his face away. _

_ Part of him was really proud to have driven Connor to this point, and part of him was really concerned too. He mumbled praises, 'you're doing so good' and 'you so good for me' when he could, but mostly focused on moving slowly, nothing to overwhelm him. He definitely was squeezing harder again, finding every movement was too slow and not enough- just driving him mad.  _

_ The kisses on his neck got a weak growl, a stutter of his movements and he pushed in a little faster than he meant, immediately apologizing.  _

His core temperature was much higher than it should safely be. He let his head rest against the bed and his saw went slack, trying to breathe in as much cool air as possible. 

He felt when the timer was up, but he was still so sensitive. He rocked his hips up and whined, doing it again. "You, you can move now."

The hold on his hips felt amazing, grounding him the rest of the way. He could still feel everything but it was easier to process. 

The praise made him keen, and mumble incoherently. He knew he wasn't going to last very long, and that made him incredibly thrilled. 

_ Connor definitely felt hot to the touch, and Gavin put 'get cool towels' on his to-do for after. For now he pulled up a bit so their chests weren't pressed together and cool air could hit Connor's body. _

_ At the rock Gavin nearly lost it, head hanging as he was finally given permission to move properly. He didn't waste time, pulling as far back as he could and giving Connor one more sweet kiss before he started the pace he had before. _

_ He put more effort into his pace now, knowing he wouldn't last. He was slipping out of sync every so often already, mumbles of 'Connor' just leaving him now. "Not gonna- phck- Connor 'm close." It was hard to form the words, but he managed to, as the stuttering became more frequent. He could feel the knot just pulling tighter, and he was trying to last for Connor. _

Connor tried to roll his hips up in time, but his control on them are shaky. He ran a hand down Gavin's chest, the other stayed on his back. 

He was incredibly impressed that Gavin had been able to wait so long, and that he hasn't come yet. He was curious if he could get Gavin to come from him just pleasuring Connor. Unlikely, but still something he wanted to test someday soon. 

He nodded at Gavin, a smile on his lips as he panted. "Yes… touch me. I want to come with you." He moved the hand away from Gavin's chest to touch one of his hands. 

He whined and almost felt like crying when Gavin hit the spot. He had to take another few very deep breaths to make sure he didn't overheat.

_ When he hit the spot, Gavin made sure to aim for it again, seeing the way it forced Connor to breathe heavy. He could only get out a 'yes yes' at the command, and moved the hand not being touched to take Connor's length.  _

_ He was careful, the whole movement shifting them just slightly and Gavin didn't want to overload Connor that much. So the hand was kept at an even pace, slower than Gavin's hips. The rhythm didn't last long however, Gavin found his hips stuttering and hand speeding up just slightly. _

_ He came with a breathless gasp of the other's name, mumbling it repeatedly as he rode it out, head going completely blank except for the other in it. _

Connor still had his skin deactivated on his dick, so the feeling of Gavin's hand was still heightened. He squirmed and panted out praise. 

Connor whimpered when he felt Gavin come in him. It was a very new feeling and his mind supplied an analysis of it. His first thought was why the fuck did he have a scanner there?

It did make sense in some odd way. If he was to go undercover and have sex he could get DNA that way. Though if that happened he would have had many other opportunities to do so. 

It only took him a few more seconds until he too was coming. He felt a stab of panic when his vision went dark, and he could tell his body went limp. 

Then he started to reboot. It didn't last longer than a second, but when he fully regained function he desperately gasped for air.

_ Gradually slowing down, he pulled out when they both were finished, and just caught his breath. He could hear the hard time Connor was having cooling down, and despite how tired he was, he was going to help. _

_ "Gonna get- towel." He assured the other, kissing his cheek and nearly recoiling at the temperature of his skin. "Towel you down alright?" Part of him didn't want to leave- but he knew Connor would be alright for a second. He'd been paying attention, and it didn't seem like the other slipped into any headspace that would need him at his side. Just in case, he'd grab the kit too. _

_ "Need anything- anything else?" His chest was heaving and he wanted to lay down, curl into the other's side, but he took control and aftercare very seriously. "I'd try for another round but-" He waved his hand at Connor, the rest of his sentence falling apart in his mouth. He was going to say about Connor being too hot. Then he grinned as he got his words back. _

_ "You're too hot to handle." _

He was definitely overheating, but the short shutdown had made sure it didn't become destructive.

"Water?" He asked. It seemed that water was a very big part of his semen and his systems had alerted him that it needed to be replenished. "Also, if you have thirium." His voice was more than just slightly mechanical when he spoke. 

He ran a full system check and has glad that the only few things that came back was a foreign substance in him, his core temperature and the need for water and thirium. 

He knew what the substance was and was pleased to see that it wouldn't have any adverse effects. So, theoretically he could keep it inside him if he wanted to. 

He snorted at Gavin and stuck his tongue out. "If anyone is too hot to handle, it's you. As for another round, I don't think I'd even be able to. My current wait time has climbed very high. I'll be over sensitive for at least ten minutes." 

"After that, it would be much harder to get an erection." He did check and the next time he could get one without any trouble would be in at least three hours. 

_ "Water I can do- thirium will wait til after I get you set up." He was mentally cursing his own stupidity, forgetting to get it when he got the vodka and cleaning supplies. He also forgot all his groceries but that was a little less important right now. _

_ Rolling his eye at the 'no you' Connor pulled, he nearly fucking beamed at the news that he managed to find Connor's limit. He knew he wouldn't be able to last that long often, but he was damn proud to have done it now. "You should put your overlay back on then babe, cause I have to wipe you down." _

_ Leaving the room after a moment, he went into the bathroom, humming despite knowing Connor was fine. It was habit, to hum loud enough to be heard when out of sight. He came back with a damp towel wrapped around ice and a small pitcher of ice water. Setting it down, he rested on the bed, looking to Connor. "Am I good to wipe you down or wanna wait for the ten minutes to pass?" _

He nodded and activated his skin to fully cover himself. It was an interesting feeling, like air hovering just over your skin. 

He laid still even after Gavin left, just staring up at the ceiling. He didn't want to move, so he didn't. That was the best thing about deviancy. He could just not do something. 

He loved being able to hear Gavin hum, and couldn't help the happy sound he made when he came back. He was still (ok, fine he'll admit it is) purring, but it was deeper than before. He felt completely content to just lay there. 

He reached over and poked his stomach to test his sensitivity. It was really fucking high and he winces just slightly. "As long as you're gentle." 

_ Hearing the purr start up, he couldn't help the grin, leaning in to kiss Connor's forehead. "How do you feel otherwise? And of course I'll be gentle." He set the kit he grabbed to the side of the bed- it was just a metal suitcase that was tucked under the sink. _

_ He waited for Connor to settle before starting with Connor's neck. Slow, gentle swipes of the tail over his skin, he got out a wet wipe from the kit and took care of the mess before the towel ran over the skin there. He did pause, leaving the cold towel on his stomach and chest, to tug Connor up to the pillows fully, pressing two behind his head. Then he resumed what he was doing. _

_ He didn't stop humming, now finding a tune to hum along to, as he made sure to get everywhere that felt hot, avoiding anywhere that would be too sensitive. He made sure Connor could reach the water and when he wiped down all of Connor, he rested the towel on him and got out a wipe for himself. He knew he needed to set his alarm two hours before they had to go so he could shower, eat, all that good stuff- so he wasn't bothering with cleaning too much right now. _

He tried to analyze his own emotions, which was always hard to do. He could easily identify them on others, including androids, but trying on himself was difficult. 

"I feel...happy and content. Also I believe I am tired. I'm still slightly confused as to why I'd have a reason to have a scanner inside of me, but it doesn't really have that big of an affect. I do assume that it does make me more sensitive there." He was excited to sleep but he also wanted to make sure Gavin was ok. 

He jolted slightly at the gentle strokes, but quickly relaxed and just watched Gavin. The cold towel not only helped, but it also felt really soothing. 

When Gavin started on himself Connor grabbed a cup of water and chugged it before turning back to Gavin. He placed a hand over Gavin's, and smiled up at him. "Let me?" 

_ 'Scanner inside?' Gavin didn't like the implications of that, but that was something that could be touched on later. "I bet you are tired. I'd go over the checklist for after session but I think you're pretty coherent." Normally he'd ask time and date, what plans they had for tomorrow, how they'd feel about him sitting in the other room- check up essentially, but Connor was fine. _

_ He was glad it did help, knuckles brushing against his side to check how hot he felt. But then the other was smiling sweetly to him and offering to help. "If you wanna Con." He leaned in for another kiss, smiling a bit. "We do need to sleep soon, I have to get up early to shower and get you back to Hank's." He'd be back to field work, given he didn't let it slip to Fowler about this weekend, and he was a bit excited for that. _

His core temperature was still high but now it was about where it would be if he worked out for a bit. Which, admittedly, what they did basically was. 

"I am, though I definitely wasn't for a few seconds. I'm impressed you managed to get me to have to restart momentarily." He teased. It wasn't a lie though, he is impressed. 

He took the wipe and cleaned him with gentle circles. He kept cleaning as he softly kissed Gavin, smiling slightly into it. 

_ There was a blink at the new info, then Gavin looked so damn proud again, grinning and he would've hugged the other if he wasn't so sensitive yet. "I overheated my boyfriend- phck yeah." _

_ He did calm with the cleaning, just wanting it done so he could cuddle with Connor. When Connor started the kiss, he of course pressed back into the kiss. A thought occurred to him- they were both going to be busy again. They both had to go back to work, and it would be a while before they got to just be in each other's arms- unless they goofed off. Gavin remembered the date he wanted to take Connor on, and had to practice at some point. _

_ Pulling back from the kiss when he was cleaned off, he cleaned up the floor and the wipes, putting the kit off to the side. He then came back to the bed, laying beside Connor finally. "Can we cuddle or too sensitive?" _

Connor chuckled and nodded his head, "yeah, you did." A small whine slipped out when Gavin moved away. 

A small part of him wanted to make grabby hands at Gavin, but he instead just watched him as he cleaned. 

At the question he pulled Gavin close. He was still sensitive, but now he was mostly focused on the blissful feeling of being completely satisfied. 

He snuggled as close as he could, his head on Gavin's chest and arms around him. He was mostly on his stomach and one of his legs ws over Gavin's. "Love you," he mumbled and pressed a kiss to his chest. 

_ While it was adorable that Connor wanted so close, Gavin was still worried about the possibility of Connor being too out of it. Anxiety, he knew, but it still nagged at him. He wrote it off as cuddly due to the affection and it being the first time Connor's probably hit his limit in that way, but just in case he held the other close. _

_ "Love you too- looking forward to tomorrow?" He pressed a kiss to the top of Connor's head, one arm wrapped around him and the other in his hair. Soft gentle combing through the strands, while he loved the sensitive way he was without skin, he did have to admit- he really liked playing with Connor's hair more. _

_ His own heartbeat was slowing as he relaxed, fighting off sleep for just a bit so he could enjoy this, and make sure Connor was completely alright. _

He hummed happily and let his eyes closed as he listened to Gavin's heart. He traced random figures into Gavin's warm skin. He could lay here forever if he was allowed to. 

"Very, as much as I enjoy time off I'm excited to get back to work and helping people." He was excited for the routine of it too, though it would mean he wouldn't get to spend as much time with Gavin. 

He'd make sure to try to spend as much time with him, in and out of the office. He would also try to keep the pda to a minimum while at the precinct, after all it is his work place. 

He gently pushed into Gavin's hand, another soft sighing making its way out. He was both really tired but also very awake. The hand I'm his hair was helping push him towards sleep, though. 

_ Alright, that settled him finally, as Gavin pressed another kiss into his hair. "I get off desk duty and I can't wait. Think I have a case I wanna dig into as soon as I'm allowed. But- sleep first." _

_ Gavin didn't know how they would be able to be in the office. He remembered the soft moments, sitting on the ground with his head resting on Connor's thigh- standing on the chair announcing it. It wasn't going to be secret that was for sure. He did realize they would probably need to be professional though. _

_ Great thing that he was good at being sneaky. He would get a daily kiss from Connor, one way or another. His free hand reached for his phone, edging the alarm to an hour earlier and then settling as he was. _

_ Feeling the push he couldn't help the soft hum, mumbling 'angel' when his eyes finally closed. His hand kept moving automatically until it slowed to a stop, just going limp as he passed out like this. _

He smiled when he heard and felt Gavin's heart slow, and breathing become even. He felt warmth flood his chest, and he knew it was from an emotion. He could easily identify it, but chose not to, just content to feel it. 

He'd normally manually out himself into stasis, but it didn't seem he needed to. It was very odd to just simply fall asleep, but it was nice. He was so used to having complete control over every little thing in his body, but he let this one thing go. 

The rumbling didn't stop as he fell asleep and his dream program started up. There were short little glimpses into scenes. Gavin and him sitting outside, eating together, celebrating something, and much more. If he was awake he'd have been surprised to see his stress levels at 0%. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Me: Normal  
> Lupo: Italicized  
> Text message: Underlined

_When the alarm finally went off, the first thing Gavin noticed was the rumbling on his chest. He yawned, blinking slowly awake and moving his hand lazily. Still somewhere near Connor, it brushed over the skin on his neck. He took a moment just to admire the other, smiling softly. "Hey pretty angel," he mumbled, noticing the other was fully out._

_There was no way he was moving without waking the other, so he can settled with the fact he had to. He knew better to wake him with shaking, so he gently rubbed a circle into the other's shoulder. "Connor, sweetheart, wake up, time to get ready for work go-bot." He pulled away, all slow movements and stretching and sat with his legs over the side of the bed._

_Reaching up got a couple of satisfied pops from his back, and he went to rub his nose and hissed. Still very sore, but Gavin knew it was healing. If it wasn't he would've cried from rubbing it. He looked in the camera of his phone, noticing the still red and bruised area. Nothing a little makeup wouldn't fix. "Gonna go downstairs and see if someone can spare a bottle of blue- you wanna get a shower first?"_

He slowly woke up, humming softly before opening his eyes. He'd never get tired of seeing Gavin, especially in the morning when the other just woke up. 

At the mention of work he smiled even wider and sat up. He felt tired but in a content way, and he didn't mind. He could get used to this. 

"Sounds good to me, babe," the petname slipped out, but he didn't mind. He stood and wrapped Gavin into a hug from behind, giving a kiss to his cheek. "Love you," he mumbled, pressing another kiss to his cheek before moving away. 

_Gavin sure as hell didn't mind it, turning to try and catch the other in a kiss. When he couldn't reach him he fully turned, hand reaching out and taking the other's jaw in it. "Oh no you don't, love you too now come 'ere."_

_He pulled him into a quick kiss, keeping it sweet and slow before he pulled away and went to put on some shorts. He didn't bother covering his chest or anywhere else, very proud of the new bite marks he wore. Even if he looked like he lost a fight, it was one he would willingly lose again and again._

_"I'll be back in five, help yourself to whatever you need in there Con." He felt like Connor knew that, but reassured him anyways. He opened the door to find Doa there, mewling, and then prancing towards the kitchen. "I'll feed ya both when I get back."_

Connor snickered at the kiss, gladly kissing back. He didn't move and instead just watched Gavin get mostly dressed. 

He liked the look of Gavin's neck, though he knew it would probably hurt. If Gavin didn't wear a scarf he'd probably get a lot of attention from it, or at least get a lot of shit from Tina. 

Connor nodded and walked to the bathroom, he'd just borrow something from Gavin after he got out. 

He started the shower turning it as hot as he could take it. He stepped in and he noticed the rumbling stopped. 

_Walking out of the apartment, he made sure to keep quiet, looking to the other door on this floor. He didn't feel bad, persay, but he really didn't want to encounter Kyle anytime soon either. Frankly, he hadn't been that loud with anyone in a long time, and remembering the fact he screamed brought red to his face._

_He was really going to have to look for a club for them to go to- exhibitionism was sounding better with every minute. Shaking the thoughts away, he tried to recall just who lived where, and went two floors down. It was still the two-apartment layout, but Gavin knew the one apartment here was a whole group._

_After a rapt knock, Gavin stood back as the door opened, smiling sheepishly. The person who answered had short purple hair and an intact, but yellow and glitching LED. "Gavin? What are you doing down here early in the morning?" Their voice was instantly worried, and Gavin held his hands up, placating._

_"Just wanted to know if you guys could spare a bottle of thirium or two- my boyfriend's healing from some shit and uh- we- might've fooled around a bit before we should've." Eyes flicked over his neck and there was a soft 'mhm' that Gavin huffed to._

_"Wait right here. Natalya just got some the other day with her pay." The purple haired being disappeared into the apartment for a couple minutes before coming back. "Hope he likes his warm because we keep ours above the oven." Gavin shook his head, smiling a bit as eh took the two bottles._

_"Thank you Vivi, tell everyone I said hi and to keep out of trouble."_

_"Because you're a good example." Gavin flipped them off at that and headed back upstairs, placing the two bottles on the counter and pulling out the ingredients for strawberry waffles._

Connor took his time in the shower, but even still it didn't take him long, after all, he didn't sweat. He did squirm slightly when his systems cleaned itself out. 

He toweled off and grabbed a shirt and pants from Gavin's dresser and pulled them on. He had heard the door open and close when Gavin came back and smiled to himself. 

He walked out and to the kitchen stopping for a second to scratch behind Doa's ears before walking to Gavin. 

He made a soft sound to let Gavin now he was there before wrapping his arms around him. His hair was still damp and he pushed it out of his face. 

He grabbed a bottle of thirium and let go of Gavin so he could chug it. He wiped his mouth and threw the bottle away before going back to holding Gavin. 

_Doa mewled at the content, content purring leaving her after a moment, and then nestling back around the kitten._

_At the sound Gavin hummed back, acknowledging the other and relaxing when arms wrapped around him. "Feel better angel?" He could feel how warm the other was from the shower and was so tempted to just melt in place._

_Instead he turned his waffle iron over, watching the other pull away to drink. "Was two enough?" He turned just enough to kiss the other's jaw, resting his head back and pulling the second waffle off the heat and placing it on the plate. He had to move to get the syrup from the fridge, but he really didn't want to. So he just made a grabby hand towards the fridge._

"I feel great, you?" He returns the kiss with one on Gavin's cheek. He watched as Gavin made the food, smiling contently. 

He chuckled when Gavin made grabby hands for the fudge and stepped, going to clean on the counter and grabbing the next bottle. "Yeah, two is good, thank you." 

He uncaps it and drinks this one slower than the other. His levels were almost completely at max after the second bottle, and he smiled at his stress level. 

Normally he was always at 5% or higher, but currently he was at 2%. Most of the decrease came from just being around Gavin. It also helped that he slept really well and would finally be allowed to go back to work. 

_"Fantastic. Gonna raise hell and be a chaotic fucker all day today and I'm looking forward to that." He grinned at that, moving to get syrup out when Connor pulled away. He was glad to see his LED so blue, smiling like this with him._

_Gavin didn't bother sitting, just leaning against the counter and holding the plate in one hand. Doa joined them, just watching from the counter, and it all felt so calm. Gavin wished there would be a lot more mornings like this soon._

_He didn't want to waste time eating though, so his waffles were gone pretty quick. Laying the plate in the sink after rinsing it real quick, he walked over to Connor, reaching up to hold his face. "Kiss me," he mumbled, not wanting to just take but prompt Connor to do so as well. Even if the 'please' laid heavy on his tongue, he just pouted to resist saying it._

He blinked slowly at Doa like cats often did to show trust, often called a 'happy blink'. He smiled even wider when Doa returned the gesture. He hoped that Bastard would warm up to him too. 

Before Gavin could wash the plate off he scooped some of the syrup up and stuck it in his mouth. It did taste really good and he glanced over the ingredients list. He could probably make his own syrup, but healthier. 

Connor rests his hands on Gavin's hips and smiles at the request, "of course." He kisses him slowly, his eyes fluttering closed. 

_Gavin would never get tired of seeing how happy Doa and Connor were with each other. He didn't think he needed to explain it, but Doa was his little girl, and Doa's approval always meant everything._

_Of course Connor wanted to test the syrup, but it honestly worried Gavin, the stickiest couldn't be good for his systems. But he wasn't going to tell him not to- not when it gave him an excuse to deepen the kiss._

_His eyes closed and he tasted thirium, but he also tasted syrup and the mixture was wild. Gavin pressed into him as much as he could, hands sliding to his shoulders after a moment and leaving out a blissful sigh._

_It was that moment he heard a scramble on the tiles, Doa's meows turning annoyed and then the familiar flops of the kitten climbing his way onto the counter. He figured Bastard was going to get food, but then he started being the loudest bitch ever- right behind Connor. 'Bastard you little bitch you choose right now to want his attention.'_

He hummed happily, leaning into Gavin. He pulled Gavin closer by his hips until they were flush. He let Gavin take the lead in the kiss, just enjoying the emotions that rushed through him. 

He was still sometimes shocked at the emotions but he very much enjoyed being able to feel. 

When Bastard made a ruckus he couldn't help but pull back to laugh. It was the type of laugh that hurt your sides and felt your face sore from smiling. 

He looked back, but kept one hand around Gavin. With the other he reached his hand towards Bastard, letting him sniff his hand before he pet him. 

_Oh that laugh- Gavin wished he had a memory like Connor's so he could easily replay it fifty times over. "He's such a drama king. Spoiled brat." He stuck his tongue out at Bastard, still smiling too and melting into the hug._

_Bastard soaked up the attention, finally opening up to Connor. He still got swatted at when the kitten decided it was enough, and the little furball moved to the side. Remembering it was his turn to shower though, Gavin eventually pulled away._

_"As much as I could stay here all day, I need to get my ass in gear. You gonna wait for me to drive you over to Hank's or take a cab?" Despite knowing he needed to move, he still waited, wanting to know if he would be out here when he finished or not._

Connor grinned so widely it hurt when Bastard let him pet him. His fur was so soft and he just wanted to pick the cat up and snuggle him forever. 

Animals were so different from humans and androids. They have emotions and wants, and needs. The way they see the world is different, though. Cats seem to be the most human-like out of most pets. 

He stopped rotting and cooing at the cat when he swatted at him, taking the clear sign. He looked back at Gavin with the same wide grin. 

"I'll wait for you, if that's alright." He wanted to have as much time with Gavin as possible before both their schedules were busy with cases. 

_"Absolutely. I'd invite you into the shower but- I have a feeling it would be a little counterproductive." He snickered at that, and leaned in to briefly peck his lips one more time. "I won't be long."_

_With that he properly pulled away, petting Doa on his way out and stopping in his bedroom to get his clothes first. It didn't take long to shower, however, applying enough makeup to hide the bruising of his nose, without hurting it, took a little but of time. Since he was already going this far, he broke out his liquid eyeliner, applying it smoothly and adding the slightest wing before walking back out._

_"Alright- ready Con?" He felt a good bit better, now in a grey button up and his jacket over his shoulders. He still had to break it in after all, and he wouldn't have much longer to do so before it was too hot to wear. His neck was still very much exposed, but not put on display, as he figured Connor wouldn't want too hassled about it._

"Probably," he chuckled and gave Gavin's ass a pat when he walked away. He watched him walk away before looking around. 

He passed the time by petting Doa and sharing a few memories with her. Just small things he thought she'd enjoy, like birds or other small animals. 

He looked up when Gavin came back in and grinned, giving Doa a few more pets before moving. He walked over and pressed a kiss to Gavin's cheek. 

"You look nice." He fiddled with Gavin's shirt even though he didn't need to. "Ready when you are." 

_In return for the memories, Doa shared some back, pictures of Gavin stretched out doing stretches or falling asleep with case files on his chest and marker stains on his face. And of course, videos of herself chattering out the window at a bird on the fire escape._

_Gavin returned the kiss, tempted to wrap his arms around the other but he knew he wouldn't want to let go. "Got a reason to. Thanks though." He did lean into the touch, before nodding at the 'ready'. He lead the way, trying to think if he was missing anything. He had wanted to get cupcakes for Connor, to celebrate him coming back, but they didn't have time. And he'd ask to send one of the girl's over but that seemed like a bad idea too._

_Gavin would make it up to him with the picnic. "Hey Connor, odd question but like, this week, are there any nice days to just- be outside," he asked as they got in the elevator. Figuring this way was better than being all sneaky about it, it would leave Connor curious._

Connor cooed at the memories of Gavin. He accidentally sent a rush of affection through the connection, but he could tell Doa cared just as much as he did for Gavin. 

He followed Gavin into the elevator, keeping an arm around him. At the question he quickly went through different weather channels. 

"It seems that Wednesday would be the best with only a 5% chance of rain. The high is 63 degrees Fahrenheit, and a low of 49." He did wonder what Gavin was planning. 

That did remind him, he checked on the bath bombs he had bought for him and was glad to see that they'd be there before Wednesday. 

_In the elevator he couldn't help but lean into Connor, enjoying being held and wrapping his arm around him in return. 63 sounded nice, and he made a mental note to find his guitar in the spare bedroom and get stuff ready today. "How are you feeling babe? I mean, with your arm and everything?"_

_His hand rubbed soothing circles as he looked to Connor. He wished he could scan the other, know how to ease any discomfort, but he couldn't. So he just kissed the shoulder, careful not to get foundation on him. "I love you, and if you need me at all today, just come get me alright? You don't have to say anything other than 'breakroom' if you want." He felt a lot better himself, and he wanted to be there for Connor today._

_Remembering what would be keeping him busy, he really hoped the make up worked cause he didn't want desked any further._

Thankfully his arm was completely operational, and wouldn't hold him back. There was this... soreness where it was connected, but it's much better than it could have been. 

"It feels good, but it's like… you know when you wear two pairs of socks and one is slightly different? It's the same feeling." That was the best way he could describe it. 

He was licking to be an android. If he was human he'd be armless and very much dead by now. 

"Love you too," he pressed a kiss to Gavin's temple. "And the same goes for you, if you need me just let me know." 

He was ready to sink his teeth into whatever case Hank and he would share. It was an odd job because on one side he enjoyed it, on the other he got to see the worst of humanity. 

_"Hopefully that'll go away with time and exercise?" He wondered if there were specific exercises to do- he'd ask Elijah about it. "I'm glad it's alright though I-" Still feel bad about ripping it off, again. He didn't want to say it, didn't want to remind either of them._

_"I don't want anything to hold you back." He would've raised Connor's hand to kiss it, but they were at the car already. "Wanna drive?" It was an offer to keep Connor's head busy, and also he wanted to text Elijah about his picnic plans._

_"Also are you going to ride in with Hank, or want me to wait outside for you?" He wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to ride in with the lieutenant, because they hadn't had so much time together._

The feeling would probably disappear the more he used it. It would feel more natural over time as long as it wasn't ripped off again. 

"I'm sure it won't hinder me at all. I'll drive." He gave Gavin's hand a squeeze before letting go and walking around the car. 

He got in and checked the mirrors before starting the car. "I'll ride in with Hank, if that's ok. I know he's been worried about me, and you." 

It was pretty sweet that Hank had once again starting to become more open to caring for others. He still wouldn't admit it, but Connor could tell he cared about more than just Sumo and him. 

_Getting in the passenger seat, he looked up some playlists to listen to under their conversation, relaxing at how domestic it all was. Really, he could get used to this. Finding a playlist and turning it on, he switched to messaging Chloe, wanting to see if Eli was up and about yet._

_Hearing Hank was worried about him left him a little skeptical, but then again, he did send Connor over when he was trying to drink himself off the deep end for a day. "Yeah- tell him I said thanks for uhm- actually no I'm not." He shook his head, making a face. He wasn't ready to tell Hank thanks for caring, it felt too weird yet and sure- he'd get there one day but that wasn't today._

Connor smiled and glanced at Gavin before focusing on the road. Plenty of people had self-driving cars which did limit crashes, but that didn't stop glitches or manual drivers. 

It was kinda crazy how much had changed in such a short time. He doubted normal human lives were this hectic. He wouldn't give this up for the world, but it would be nice to not almost die more often than not. 

He sent a text to Hank when they were getting close. Before becoming deviant he never thought he'd have any of this, though the whole not being deviant thing kinda made wishing for things a bit hard. "I love you." He blurted. He would never get tired of saying that.

_Gavin paused his messages, Chloe was awake and willing to make the things herself for him. So he was telling her his plan, because it was nice to gossip with someone honestly. "I love you too angel. Don't you forget it- cause that's never changing." He smiled, an honest smile, absolutely meaning what he said._

_Gavin was told, from a very young age, he had a dog's loyalty. If someone gained it, no matter what they did, they wouldn't lose it. It hurt him more than helped, he knew, but it wasn't a trait easily trained out of someone. Not, that he wanted it to be. His loyalty to the oath he sworn to made him a good detective. His loyalty to Fowler made him trustable. And his loyalty to Connor now- it felt right. He didn't feel like he'd get hurt, not on purpose, because of this, and Connor truly deserved someone who would always be in his corner._

_As they got to Hank's house Gavin finished up the conversation, excited for Wednesday. Excited for a lot of things honestly. He got out, quickly crossing the car to get a hug and kiss before they had to be somewhat professional at work. As if that would stop him from sneaking touches from Connor either._

Connor sighed into the hug, completely happy. He was finally being allowed back to work, and he was with Gavin. After the kiss he smiled, "drive safely. I'll see you at work." 

He gave him another quick kiss before jogging up to the door. It was nice to be able to just walk into a home without knocking. He had a home and he has a family. 

Before closing the door he glanced back at Gavin, smiling again before going in. Sumo barks half-heartedly and comes over. 

He's surprised to see Hank already in the kitchen, but proud. "Good morning, Hank." He kneels down and let's Sumo lick his face, scratching behind his ears. 

Hank hums and looks over, obviously still sleepy. "You ready for work?" 

Connor stands back up, the grin never leaving his face. "I just need to get changed, and then we can go." 

Hank gave him a nod and he walked into his room. He looked through his clothes and picked out a white button up, and pants. Nothing fancy or anything, but he did debate on a tie. 

He decided to wear one, and looked through his collection. His shirt was white so he could wear any tie and it would match. He shrugged and picked a red one, and tied it around his neck with quick fingers. 

Once he was sure he was completely ready he walked out. Hank was pulling on his shoes, and looked up when Connor walked over. "Ready, son?" He asks once again. 

"I am, let's get to work."

_Easily returning the kisses, he smiled cheekily to the other. "When don't I drive safely? Love you, see you in a bit." Fuck it felt- so nice to say that. He waited for the other to head in, still grinning as he got back into the driver's seat._

_Of course he was at precinct quickly, walking in and seeing Tina. The girl approached him, whistling lowly as she looked at his neck. "You had- one hell of a weekend. Feeling sore there, buckeroo?" She poked his neck and Gavin hid the wince, swatting at her._

_"Don't be a brat T- I have nothing to hide from nobody. Anything interesting happen while I was gone?" She shrugged, following Gavin to the breakroom where he grabbed a coffee._

_"Besides you being gone for once- nope. That's all anyone focused on really- the loudest three in the bullpen just fucking gone. Con's coming back right?" Gavin nodded, and Tina sighed in relief, pulling out a tray from the fridge. "Good! Cause I was thinking- after all the shit him and Hank went through- why not make them a little something? Ya know, to welcome them back and all that jazz."_

_Uncovering the container, there were tiny, Reese cup sized cupcakes, six to be exact, and then two dozen bigger ones. They all had blue icing and bright white cake, and little fondant letters- 'Welcome Back !Andersons!' arranged with two stars, one on each side of back._

_"Holy shit T- these are awesome!" He pulled her into a one armed hug, grinning. "I wanted to do something for Con and Anderson but didn't have the time- shit- this is so cool they're gonna love it. Your the best T." She rubbed his hair, effectively ruining it and then hid the cupcakes away._

_"Collins, Fowler, and Chris should be showing up in here too- Collins got a new dog he wants to show Connor pics of- even made him a little folder of puppy photos." Gavin laughed at that, leaning on the table. The case he had was pushed to the back of his mind now._

_"Gonna love it."_

Hank let Connor drive, not fully aware yet. "So, what did you two do?" He seemed to realize how bad of the question it was after asking it. 

"Do you really want to know? I can tell you. We-" he started but Hank quickly cut him off. 

"No! Nope, don't wanna know." Hank grumbled. Connor chuckled and glanced over, before looking back to the road. 

"Do we have any cases you're already working on?" Connor asks, changing the subject. 

Hank shrugs and pulls out his phone. He curses a few times while apparently trying to find something. "Uh, fuck. Ok, looks like we got a few kidnappings, a murder, and a murder that looks like an android did it." He knew that wasn't all, but those were the cases that needed their attention first. 

"Once at the station I'll look them all over, see if there is anything that sticks out." With that they talk about random things until they get to the station. 

The both get out of the car and make their way in. Connor smiles at the receptionist, and a few wave. He missed this place so much. 

Hank smiles fondly and pats him on the shoulder, pride clear in his eyes. "Wonder if anyone planned a welcome back party, it's actually pretty common when an officer is coming back after an injury." 

He knew the other officers saw him as an equal but it was one thing to know and another to see it. 

_Fowler came into the break room, looking at Gavin with raised eyebrows and Gavin just hummed. Collins also came in, and Gavin figured Chris was going to be the one to bring the two in. There was- the old instinct to move out of the way- hide. Don't be obvious. Blend in with the background- but- even he had to admit he wasn't feeling as threatened as he once did._

_Maybe it was all the shit he's been through so far that instilled a false confidence, but it felt good, to see a couple officers waddle in and ask Tina what's going on. To not move away and instead nod in a greeting. No one outright acknowledged him, but no one avoided him, and it was a difference that had him quiet- peaceful._

_Chris waited outside the break room for Connor and Hank, and grinned when he saw the two. His loud voice was easily heard among the chatter in the breakroom, and Tina moved to the front, leaving him to the little table. "Connor! Lieutenant! It's great to see you both back! Collins is in the break room- he's got pictures of this puppy he got- cutest thing. You both need to come see it."_

Apparently Connor was so distracted by the idea of seeing a puppy he didn't notice that quite a few people weren't at their desks. 

Hank, however, did notice, but kept his mouth closed. Connor's grin widened even further. Puppys are his weaknesses. Put a puppy or honestly any dog in front of him and everything else flies out the door. 

"A puppy? What kind, like what's the breed? Oh, what's the name?" Connor rambled. Hank gave a nod to Chris, before leading them to the break room. 

_Chris shrugged, motioning with his hands the length of the dog's face. "Weird looking puppy- too soft to be real but he's saying it is. You'll have to ask him all that, you know I don't do animals too well."_

_Leading them into the room, on Tina's signal, everyone spoke. "Welcome back boys," was spoken in unity, Gavin even joining in as Tina lifted the top off the cupcake container. "It's been way too quiet without you two around, so from everyone here at the Central station- thank fuck you're back!"_

_Gavin shook his head, smiling a bit more lopsided at Tina's makeshift 'welcome back' speech. Everyone was polite enough not to crowd the two, instead enjoying their drinks and waiting for Tina's 'ok' to come get a cupcake._

Connor's eyes widen and grins at all the people in the break room. "Oh! Thank you." He walks over to the table, and looks at the cupcakes. 

The world had already come a long way with accepting androids, and this showed it. He knew something as small as a welcome back party made a huge difference to the world, but it made a huge impact on him. 

He pulls Tina into a hug, "thank you." He pulled back and glanced at Gavin, his grin widening impossibly further. 

He picked up one of the tiny cupcakes, and takes a bite. He sighs happily at the taste. "So good!" He said, eating the rest. The cupcake was moist and not too sweet. 

_Tina hugs back, grinning all the while. "Anytime Connor! It's good to have you both back." She patted his back before grabbing a cupcake and taking it over to Hank._

_Gavin caught his eyes when he looked over, waving to him and finishing up his coffee. He had all the time in the world to spend with Connor, he was happy to give this time to everyone else. Collins was the next to approach Connor, pulling out his phone._

_"I'm sure Chris told you- you want to see some pictures of the newest little lady in my family?"_

Hank grinned at Tina, giving her a pat on the shoulder. He gladly took the cupcake as he knew this was one of the few times Connor wouldn't get onto him about eating unhealthy. 

Connor nodded quickly at Collins. "Yes! Yes please! How old is she? What breed, or is she a mix?" He asks, practically bouncing on his heels. 

Hank looked over and shook his head fondly, then found Gavin and made his way over. "He puts everyone ahead of himself. He won't really show if something is wrong if he thinks someone else needs him." He keeps his voice down, watching Connor. "But, I can tell you make him happy. Just don't fuck it up cause you don't think your worth it, or some shit." 

He knew he didn't really need to keep reminding him, but Connor was like his son. He wouldn't let another get hurt, not if he could help it. 

_Collins pulled up the folder, glad to open up the first picture and hand Connor the phone. "Duchess is a three month old Borzoi, pure bred. Some lady lets her borzoi get with one of her neighbor's a couple cities away, and sells the puppies. Couldn't help but buy her when she was the last one to go."_

_Looking up to Hank when he came over, the smile fell to something softer, eyes going back to Connor as well. "If this is about the other day- hell no that wasn't what was going on, don't worry. I would never hurt Connor." Gavin reached up to his nose, twitching it gently._

_"It's good he got someone like you. He's damn lucky in that aspect." Cup empty, Gavin knew he should get to work. However Fowler walked over then, looking at them both. When his eyes focused on Gavin's nose, he seen the way they narrowed and looked away._

_"Right mauled you look Reed. And Hank, good to see you back. How'd the break go for you two?" Fowler nodded towards Connor, and that was when Gavin really should leave. He pushed away, rolling his shoulders._

_"I'm going to welcome Con back and get to work, got a case captain here can't keep me from digging into now." He was grinning and Fowler sighed, the slightest upturn of his lips._

_"Get going and allow the adults to talk, Reed." He just resisted flipping him off for that, making his way on over to Connor._

Hank believed him, giving him a nod of approval. At the comment on Gavin's appearance he winced. "I was trying to ignore that." He really, *really* didn't want to think about how he got to looking like that. 

He glances at Fowler, then back to Connor. "Not bad, other than literally everything that happened to Connor. That boy attracts trouble." He had to snort as Gavin made his way to Connor. 

Connor gladly takes the phone, cooing at the puppy. "Prior to 1936, Americans knew the dog as the Russian wolfhound. Their name was later changed to borzoi to match the rest of the international kennels. Borzoi literally means “swift” in Russian. Also, borzois are slight dogs, and therefore can’t fit that much food in their stomachs at once. To avoid painful tummy aches or bloating, give your borzoi multiple small meals a day instead of one or two big meals." He rambled.

_Fowler hummed, though he didn't share Hank's opinion on ignoring it. If it was something they wanted to talk about though, he'd bug then. "So I've noticed- I'm surprised all of you haven't fought more on coming back. Never can get you guys to actually take your days off... You both ready work wise?" It wasn't said like a boss, but more a friend, concern evident in his tone._

_Ben nodded to the last statement. "We got the full talk when we got her, and the missus fully plans to spoil her rotten. Maybe some day you can meet us at the dog park- we're going to wait a bit to start walking her that far. She's a bit skittish of new people." Gavin waited for a lull in the conversation before he approached._

_"Welcome back Con, I'm going to get started on this case I got. Take it easy." His voice was quiet, Ben unable to catch it, but Gavin wasn't trying to hide. Just didn't want to embarrass the other. He nodded to Collins, not really sure of how to casually just- shoot the shit with the older detective._

Hank sighed and rubbed at his face. "You know how I was after… well, after. I can't stand watching him get hurt all the time even if he can just be repaired and is ready to go the next day." He heard Connor ramble and shook his head again. The kid could be so mature sometimes and then others he acted so innocent. 

"I thought making him take a break, even a small one would be good. Of course he went and found trouble anyway, though it definitely wasn't his fault." He couldn't imagine someone getting into his head and taking over. It was a nightmare that he never wanted Connor to have to live through.

"That's good! To help you should try to take her out and about as much as possible. It's shown that if you socialize dogs at an early age they are much more open to people later on. I can send you more information on training this specific breed if you'd like."

He paused his ramble when Gavin came over. "Alright, don't push yourself too hard." He looked around and mentally shrugged to himself. They were all in the break room and relaxed so he took the chance. He leaned over and quickly gave Gavin a kiss on the cheek. 

_"I meant to ask about that. Reed called in, refused to say much though. I now have to deal with two protective idiots over one self-less idiot." Fowler mock-sighed at it, watching how the three interacted. "Though, I trust if Connor wasn't ready, both of you would've raised hell before letting him come back... It won't always be like this, and sooner or later you'll be pulling your hair from boredom again."_

_"Same to you." He was smiling as he said that, knowing neither of them would listen very long. At the kiss, Ben politely looked away, but Gavin was bright red, the top of his ears showing it the most. "Dork. Love you too, if you need something lemme know." He squeezed his hand in return, before making his leave at that. He was eager to dig into this case._

_Collins, when Gavin moved away, kept up as if he didn't just see that. "I'd appreciate that. Maybe you and Hank could come over too, since you're both good with dogs. I shouldn't keep you though, other's are wanting to welcome you back." He nodded to a group of people, a couple of androids that worked here but also other officers._

Hank made sure to keep his voice low enough so that only Fowler could hear. "Connor had an AI in him, and she tried and almost succeeded in taking over. He was at Kamski's with Gavin. From what he'd told me, he hurt a few Chloes, none were hurt. He also had to fight Gavin, almost… well he almost killed him. Kamski fixed him up again, so he's good." 

"That kid," he sighs. If he could he'd gladly take his place. He'd take all the damage and pain he ever went through. Fuck, he really was being just like a father to him wasn't he. "As long as he's safe, I'll take the boredom." 

Connor smiled at flustering Gavin somehow. "Love you too." Then turned back to Collins. "We'd love that. Thank you!" 

He leaned over and gave Collins a half-hug. He knew not everyone was fond of physical affection, so he made sure to move slow enough that Collins could move away if he wanted. 

_Hearing Gavin almost died at the hands of Connor, he was a bit shocked to see Gavin so relaxed around the other. Sure, Gavin's been hurt a lot, and Fowler trusted Connor, but it was still- something else entirely to see Gavin's loyalty work for someone, rather than just the force. Some days he was really glad the guy was determinedly on their side._

_"I'm sorry to hear all that happened while he was trying to recover. It's good Reed's got ties to Mr. Kamski then- wouldn't have wanted to see what would've happened if he hadn't." He knew they fell into a silence, watching Gavin and Connor being sappy and Gavin take off for work. A new dynamic that would take time getting used to, but Fowler saw Gavin fall apart for Connor already._

_"I think Connor's safer now with the two of you than he's ever been, but do carry this message- you two aren't as damage resistant as he is. Try to keep the stunts to a minimum now that all three of you are back to work."_

_Collins didn't move away, being a friendlier soul, he returned two pats to Connor's back. "Anytime- but we better get back to work." He called over to Tina. "Thanks for the cupcake Chen!" Tina beamed, holding a thumb up to them before talking to Chris again._

The thought of Amanda actually fully taking over made him shudder. He knew how fucking strong that kid is. He could easily take down any of the officer's here without batting an eye. And yet, he had seen him holding a butterfly that had landed on him. 

He didn't even need a weapon to do damage and that was even scarier. He had almost taken down all of Jericho by himself, but thankfully Markus had gotten through to him.

"Eh, you know me. Now, you'll definitely have to worry about Reed. He's always been ready to jump in front of a bullet." He really hoped he wouldn't for Connor's sake. 

He had already seen how fast Connor was, so if anyone was going to be in danger it was him. He really hoped that after deviation he'd at least hesitate for more than a second, but no. Apparently his willingness to jump into action was all him. 

Connor nodded to Collins and made his way over to Tina and Chris. Before he could reach them Deena stopped him. 

"I'm glad you're back, but you better not get hurt like that again, you hear me?" She said, staring him down. 

He quickly nodded his head. "I'll do my best." Deena squinted before giving him a nod, and pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. 

"Alright, you have a good day, I got to get back to work." With that she walked out of the break room and towards wherever she was needed. 

_"I do know you, have for a long time Hank. It wasn't that long ago you were using a squad car to ram into red ice dealers that tried to run. And that time that one gang brawl got too close to the school? You went ballistic. I mean it, for all three of you. You're my best three here, don't tell the other two- I don't want to lose any of you." Fowler's wrist started buzzing and he looked to the number._

_"Duty calls. When you and Connor are done in here, you have a couple cases on your desk..." Fowler looked to Reed, his face turning serious. "And I know you have your hands full with Connor, but since he's let you close- keep an eye on him too? No offense to Connor, but he doesn't hide and sneak as well as Reed has." He meant that as a compliment to Gavin, it was a good quality to have in certain settings. And terrible as well, because he was used to being a lone wolf._

_Tina waved to Connor when he finally made it over. "Sooo lover boy, how tame do we expect Gavie to be, on a scale of one to ten?" Of course she would lead with that, Chris smacking her arm and changing the topic._

_"What she means to say is- did you get time to relax while you had off?"_

Hank snorted at the memories. He remembered all the shit he had gotten into, and all the punishments he got for bending the rules. He wasn't sure if he was one of the best, not after Cole. He was trying though, he did love his job even after all this time. 

He glanced at Reed and nodded. It was actually really fucking hilarious how bad Connor could be about hiding his emotions when it wasn't needed for work. He could blend in if it was for work, otherwise he stuck out like a sore thumb. 

Reed, however, was different. He could hide his emotions and no one would know. What was worse was when he turned self-destructive. Hank knew quite a lot about doing that. "I'll keep an eye on him." 

Connor snorted and rolled his eyes at Tina. "He's far from tame, but he's not the only one you have to worry about." He briefly thought about when he had made sure Gavin was against the door, and quickly pushed it away before a blush could fully form. 

"It was… an eventful break. I definitely got to rest but uh, I had a few complications." He wasn't really sure if he wanted to share what happened. He didn't want to scare anyone or make them worried that he could just be controlled like that.

_"Thank you, Hank. Hey, keep on this track, you'll be in my chair in no time." He offered him a pat on the shoulder and walked off, answering his phone and talking into the bluetooth earpiece he wore._

_Tina let out an 'ohhh', obviously interested in hearing more. Thankfully Chris definitely wasn't, glaring to the woman before he focused on Connor's sentence. "I'm guessing this won't be the last hickies we see him wearing happily huh? But hey, it's good you got to rest. You should still take it easy coming back in- Better to ease in and do everything at your own pace than to rush."_

_"Fuck you sound like a soccer dad."_

_"Just because I have a baby doesn't mean I'm immediately a soccer dad!"_

_"Your legit a rip off of a Dream Daddy- anyways! He's right though- I'll tell Gav to keep his nose out of trouble too, but no- epic shit for at least two weeks!"_

Connor couldn't stop the blush that formed on his face. "Ah, he'll definitely have more." He would also have plenty too, hopefully in the near future. 

"My own pace is generally very fast." He snorted at the two, and had to look up what Dream Daddy was. When he did he tried to hold in his laughter. 

He did wince slightly at the 'rip off' comment, rolling his shoulder. He really hoped that if one of his arms got ripped off again it wouldn't be the same one. Though, he'd rather not have to have his arm ripped off at all. 

"I can't make any promises for Gavin, or myself. We were both dying to get back to work. I was ready to come in even if it meant getting through Hank." Though, it was actually pretty hard to argue with Hank if he set his mind to something. 

_"Aww- I'm glad for you two! At least I know he's with an actual sweetheart this time." She smiled, obviously approving of the two. Chris bleghed, not wanting to think of any of his friends banging each other._

_"Tina is a bad influence. Seriously though, fast pace or not, we worried about you here. It's really good to have you back." Chris offered a friendly smile, unaware of his thoughts._

_Tina laughed at the last part, puffing out her chest a bit. "I can make promises for Gavin! As second best friend, I'm absolutely going to tell that little shit to take it easy, or I'll kick his ass!" She was beaming, and Chris sighed. Then he perked up, looking to them both._

_"We're all still on for this weekend? Did Gavin ever finish cleaning up? He hasn't hosted a party in what- since his own?" Tina nodded to that, pouting a bit._

_"Yeah, cause he spent New Year's Eve working. And the holidays."_

"Thank you, it means a lot. I'm glad to consider you both friends." He said, trying to make sure they understood how much it meant. Having so many people worry over him, and not just because of how expensive it was to remake him, was amazing. He'd do his best to be safe but he knew if it came down to it, he'd do what needed to be done. 

He had absolutely no doubt that Tina would kick Gavin's ass if he did something stupid or rash. He also knew he'd get his own ass kicked if he did the same.

At the party he nodded. "We are, I helped him finish cleaning so it should be good to go. I still want to get you a gift, though. Even if it's just something small." 

_Tina aww'd at that, reaching over to hug Connor and Chris just smiled. "Hey- it might be a broken family, but we're all still one family under one roof. That's how the DPD was when I joined, and that's how I'll leave it too." Tina's turn to 'blegh', she immediately looked at Connor and then Chris._

_"Love what you're saying, but also, what does that make me as one of the two females in the bullpen?"_

_"Mother Teresa," Chris was absolutely sarcastic saying that, and she punched him for it._

_"Rude. I'm the wine aunt of the precinct then." Rolling his eyes, the male shook his head, then looked to Connor at the question._

_"Well, do you know any sing-" At that, Tina full out pushed Chris down, the man letting out a yelp as she rested her elbow on his back._

_"He's not finishing that sentence if he wants to move. Seriously Connor, just get whatever! I'm just happy you'll be there! Someone who can play party games and actually be fun at them." She glanced to Chris as she said this._

Connor felt warm and happy watching them. Tina was right, this was a family. A weird, messed up family, but a family nonetheless. He knew he could count on any of them if he needed them, and he knew he'd help them if they needed. 

"If you're the wine aunt, then what am I? I've already been compared to a dog multiple times, though being called the pet doesn't sound...right." Yeah, that definitely didn't sound good. Technically he was the youngest one on the force, though he wasn't sure how the government was going to handle android ages. 

He burst into laughter when Tina pushed Chris. Now he really wanted to know what Chris was going to say, but he wasn't going to push. 

"I've never played party games, so I'm unsure if I'll actually be any good at them." He did start thinking about things he could get her. He didn't have too much time, but he was sure he could find something suitable. 

_"Hmm... I think you'd be the adorable nephew everyone's always trying to get pictures with." Chris nodded to Tina's statement._

_"I call responsible uncle-"_

_"Of course you do. And don't worry! Most party games are really easy so drunk people can play them without hurting themselves."_

_"They're also embarrassing. Gavin is definitely going to suggest Top Ten Me." Tina grinned, looking to Chris and Connor like they were fresh meat._

_"Yeaaah- you'll two will be having fun losing that! I also wanna teach Connor FMK and Ride the Bu- Shit, Connor, is there alcohol that'll affect you?" It was an honest question, and if there wasn't she was so going to petition for it to be made._

He'd argue the adorable part, but he lets it slide. Though, he wasn't sure why everyone would want a picture with him. 

Chris would definitely be the responsible uncle. He still wanted to meet his baby at some point, but that was for a later time. 

Ah, embarrassing he could deal with. He could simply blur his own memory if need be. Though, he definitely wanted to at least win a few of the games if he could. Maybe he'd have beginner's luck as humans believed. 

"None on the market, though Elij-" he cuts himself off. They probably knew, or at least Tina did, but there were other people still in the room. "There are people probably working on it." 

_Chris was clueless, but Tina let an 'ah' to it, nodding. "Maybe I'll poke my contacts to poke their contacts into making hard soda for androids. Or better yet, something specific- like- like coconut rum! Ohhh I gotta bug Gavin to get coconut rum." She sighed at the thought, but then her and Chris's pager went off, the partners in sync._

_"Well, that's our cue to get going. We'll see you around Connor! If you need anything let us know." He gave a thumbs up to Connor and yelled over to Hank. "Welcome back lieutenant!" He was out the door before Tina. She seemed resigned to him driving, looking up to Connor._

_"See you around, and seriously, don't worry too much about the sleepover. Just having you guys to spend it with is great." She patted his shoulder then took off as Chris shouted for her._

Connor watched them go, shaking his head fondly. He grabbed another small cupcake before heading over to his desk. He'd have to get at least a little thirium later on in the day, but for now he was ready to finally get to work. 

He goes through the different files and easily solves one of the cases without having to leave his desk. The others seemed to need more thought. 

He nibbled on his pen as he thought, voicing his ideas to Hank. They'd have to go out and look at the crime scene probably tomorrow. For now they needed to get as much background information as possible. 

He practically destroyed the end of his pen by the time most people were getting ready to go home. They got a lot done on their cases, but they didn't crack any of them. He had no doubt they'd be able to solve them soon enough. 

He had completely forgotten to get thirium until Hank put a cup down in front of him, breaking his train of thought. He looked up and around the precinct. He hadn't even realized how much time had passed. 

"Thank you." He mumbled, pulling the pen out of his mouth and quickly drinking the thirium. It wasn't flavored, but that was fine. He didn't really need it to be. 

Hank nodded and sat back into his chair with a huff. "When do you wanna head home?" 

Connor shrugged, rubbing his eyes. "Well, unless we work through the night I don't think we are going to close any of these." He probably shouldn't stay late either. He was supposed to be 'taking it easy' after all.

_Gavin- was everywhere. The case intrigued him, which was new and refreshing. There was something more to it than robberies gone wrong, the attacks too specific. He had people to talk to later, scenes to go over, motives and files to report, but something was so..._

_Here. Gavin only went through two cups of coffee, when he had to make trips elsewhere, otherwise he was glued to his computer. At some point, the noise of the precinct became too much and he blocked it out, earbuds in and playing sounds of thunder to rock instrumentals or lyricless lofi and EDM._

_By the time his phone buzzed at him ten minutes to clocking out, he had a frame work setup. And that was it, and that was exciting. Gavin loved figuring cases out, especially ones he felt there was more to, and this one had his fingers twitching to be around a gun. But, he promised to take it easy- for himself and Connor. He had plans tomorrow, and the next day, so he made a to-do list for work and set it aside._

_Gavin up, he stretched with a loud pop, and the makeup on his face felt caked. Yeah, he definitely needed an hour on the machine and a good shower. Looking over to Connor and Hank, he took his earbuds out, making his way over. "Hey you two. Get anything done?" It was casual, the teasing bite he'd normally have absent. He didn't sound tired, he just didn't feel the need to tease._

_IN all honesty, he wanted a kiss from Connor and to hug him, hear his heart whirr. But that could be asked for when Hank wasn't standing right there._

Connor logged off the computer, before grinning at Gavin. "Figured out one case. Mom kidnapped her own daughter to keep her in after their divorce." 

Hank chugged the rest of his cold coffee and turned off his computer too, glad to be done with the day. He loved his job but sitting at a desk did terrible things for ones back. 

"Got some work done on the other cases. How about you?" He stood up, and walked around, leaning against his desk. There weren't many people around so he reached out and took Gavin's hand. 

_Shaking his head at the mom, he could understand it but also knew how shitty that could turn out. He wondered why the SVU hadn't had that case, but didn't question it. "Mainly have just one case, a string of robberies gone wrong in a single area- No comments on it yet but..." He tilted his head back and forth, a small smile and a glint in his eyes._

_"I'm excited to work on it- got a to-do list each day of the week set out and a framework of what I know done today." He squeezed Connor's hand back, not caring who was around. He wanted to sit in his lap, but again- there was one person he didn't want to subject that to. "Damn though, you two back and one case solved already. Fowler's gonna like that. You heading home tonight amore?"_

He understood the excitement of an interesting case. There was one that had peaked his interest, though it didn't seem to be too deep. "Well, I'm sure you'll solve the case in no time." He believed it too, he knew how smart Gavin was. 

He shrugged, "the case wasn't hard, really. They thought an android had done it, so they bumped it to us. Turns out it was just humans." He was glad that the child would be alright, though they'd probably need therapy. Then again, it seemed most people needed therapy. 

He glanced at Hank who just shrugged at him. "Yeah, I'll be going back home tonight. Can't give Hank the chance to slack on what he's been working on." 

"Hey!" Hank grumbled. Connor stuck his tongue out, and when Hank flipped him off, he gave it right back. 

He had to admit, Hank had been doing so much better lately, even with all the stress. He was actually impressed with how well he did after Connor had almost died multiple times. 

_"Hopefully, if it's what I think it is, this is something I like to do." He was beaming at that, showing small tells of excitement in his very posture. At the playoff of it, he knew it was because DPD's best were working the case. But they likely didn't need to gloat, or the praise from Gavin._

_So instead he focused on the two's bickering. "Hey, cut the old man some slack. He's had a hellish week- handled it better than I did." He was burying the fact he was proud of Hank, coming back to his old self. Even if Hank didn't almost die, it could've been him easily. Gavin was glad he was the one there, just a little tougher than most._

_"Well, you two better get going then before the night shift comes in and starts trying to get you to stay and talk." He turned to Connor then, pouting just a bit as he pointedly looked to the other's lips. "Call me if you need anything? I'm not doordash but I'll deliver."_

"See! Even Reed is on my side." Hank said, crossing his arms. Connor rolled his eyes and gave a playful glare to Gavin. 

"Fine, but you still can't have any alcohol." He concedes. He was definitely still a long way until he would let that happen. Though, even for all his complaints, Hank seemed to agree with it. 

"You're a dork," he snorted. He pushes away from his desk and once again mentally shrugs. He leans forward and kisses him gently, the skin on the hand holding Gavin's pulls back. 

Hank grumbled to himself, turning away and fiddling with his empty coffee cup. As long as they didn't start making out he was fine, but it was still weird to see someone who was basically your son kiss someone. 

_"You mean- your dork?" He grinned, returning the kiss just as gently. Despite the excitement in him, he would've been fine with even a cheek kiss. Just having Connor closer was enough to soothe him, and he squeezed Connor's hand more when he felt chassis instead of skin._

_His other arm came in for a hug before he pulled back, mumbling quietly enough for just Connor to hear- well maybe Hank if he paid attention. "Love you angel. Get some good rest and make sure to do your arm exercises." He pressed one more kiss to the other's forehead and fully moved away, just their hands together._

_"Coast's clear Anderson. I'll let you guys be getting home." Reluctantly, he let go, not wanting to but knowing he had to._

Ah, it was good that Gavin reminded him. Wow, if he had a nickel for every time he had his arm ripped off, he'd have two nickels - which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice. 

"Love you too. Drive safe and text me when you get home?" The skin slid back on when Gavin let go. He honestly hadn't even meant to do that, but was so thankful that he could with Gavin. 

Hank stood up, stretching slightly and tossing the keys at Connor. He easily caught them, without even having to look over. 

He'd just gotten used to hearing the sound of keys and Hank throwing them at him without even telling him. He had done that a few times when he was too distracted and it had hit him, which Hank found very amusing.

_"Will do. Gonna hit the workout machine tonight." He attempted a wink, back turned to Hank so he couldn't see. He was long due for a photo on his social, and Bastard needed a bath too. Easily, the thought process was work out, photo, bathe the bastard, photo of him, and then eat and probably pass out._

_He wanted to be here early tomorrow, get a head start on what he needed to find and who he needed to talk to. Maybe see if a couple of his buddies heard anything while hanging out. Also wanted to make sure he got to Elijah's and had time to help him out._

_He watched as the keys flew through the hair and laughed silently, little puffs of air leaving him. Another thing he needed to do was supply his house properly with thirium. On the way home. Giving Connor one more touch to his hand, he made his way for the door, pulling out his own keys and humming to one of the songs._

Connor watched as Gavin left then reached over and grabbed Hank's mug. He jogged over to the break room and cleaned it out before putting it away. 

"Alright, let's go home. You need to stop anywhere?" Hank asks him, when he gets back. Connor goes through his list of things needed to be done and shakes his head. 

"Not unless you need something." He walked out with Hank and to the car. He'd need to take Sumo for a walk when they got home, and feed him. He'd also need to make sure Hank ate dinner. 

It didn't take long to get home, and when he did he kneeled down to pet Sumo. "I'll be back," he calls to Hank. "Do you wanna go on a walk? Come on, let's go on a walk!" He says, hooking Sumo to the leash. 

He does pause to send to send a quick text to Gavin letting him know they got home safe. 

Instead of just walking he decided to jog. Sumo could keep up but not for too long. It was still incredibly relaxing to jog around, encouraging Sumo to keep going. 

_His night was calm for once. He got thirium, making sure to leave it in the fridge for when Connor needed it. He reminded himself to do a bit more shopping while he was out, having everything for the party except what he wanted for Connor._

_On that note, he was back to messaging Chloe. Letting her know he'd stop by tomorrow and help Elijah out with whatever was needed, and the girls too. More than once he'd help with makeup and hair, and while he was embarrassed, it was something he could do to show thanks._

_He got on the stairstepper as soon as he got home, texting Connor back with a smile. Just a reminder to do the exercises, and to give Sumo a hug for him. He didn't do an intense workout, just enough to feel the burn in his hips kick up again and his back to feel melted. A couple of arm exercises with a weight himself, and he took a picture in front of the patio window. 'Slacked for a bit but I'm baaack! Teasing the bf? Maybe!'_

_After that, he bathed Bastard and brushed down Doa, taking a picture of the angry little man, and then got his own shower. Looking in the mirror, he hissed a bit at his nose, but he could move it- somewhat. It wouldn't stop looking so obvious until probably Friday, but just in case he fashioned ice packs to hold onto his face while he cooked._

_He made sure to send one more text to Connor, before he turned in for the night, wishing him a good night before he passed out._

_Waking up was- odd. For a moment he expected warmth beside him but there was nothing, and he reminded himself Connor was home. Still, he went through his morning routine, grabbing something quick to eat and heading in a bit earlier so he could get started. He just wore a white t-shirt, 'shirt' written in Japanese on it in black, shrugging on his new coat as it would be chilly and some jeans. It wasn't a day to hide- but to look as casual as possible as he made his way through town to talk. He left his nose free of makeup, since it wasn't as bad looking today._

_He made his way to the precinct early enough to catch some of the other shift, and made sure to message Connor then. At work- have a good morning angel Just something small, before he stopped to get coffee and settle down. Looking over the to-do list, he transferred it into his phone in loosely the order he wanted to tackle everything in._

After the jog he made Hank dinner, which he eagerly ate. They sat together and watched the news, well Hank watched, Connor mostly pet Sumo. He had access to all the news he wants in his head, instantly, so he just sat there to spend time with Hank. 

After a bit they both head to bed, but Connor stretches his arm. He runs a full scan, just to be sure and it comes back clean. 

He sends a goodnight text to Gavin before going into stasis. 

He had a very pleasant dreams and almost didn't want to get up when his internal alarm went off. But they had work to do and cases that needed their attention. 

Good morning. Hank and I will be going to crime scenes first, so I'll see you later!

He walked into the kitchen, not having bothered to change out of his pajamas. He moves around the kitchen starting coffee and making Hank a breakfast. 

Hank eventually comes in, gladly taking the coffee and food. Connor takes that time to do the stretches again and change clothes. He picked out a sweater vest, a white button-up, and black jeans. 

Eventually they are both ready to leave. Connor drives since he already knows where they are going. 

The first one they go to is a very brutal murder of two androids. One AP400 and BL100. From what their neighbors had said they appeared to be in a relationship. 

He moves around the room testing evidence, a small smile when Hank grumps at him for it. There's a half a fingerprint, but no one in the system matches. 

From what he can tell it's a hate crime. Either it was just because they were androids, or it was due to them being androids in a relationship. 

They decide to talk to all of the people surrounding their house, hoping that it's as easy as one of them doing it. 

One person is definitely more stressed, but that could be for any reason so no actual reason to bring them in. 

They stop for lunch, and Connor rubs at his face. He could be objective, but that didn't mean seeing his people murdered didn't mess with him. Now that they were deviant androids could be just as ruthless, but it still surprised him how hateful humans were to their kind. 

_ Ohhh boy, first thing in the morning huh? Hope you guys get a break soon. _

_Gavin felt a little bad for him having to do that right as they got up, but that was their job sometimes._

_Instead of focusing on them though, he starts. Today he wanted to hit the streets and talk to the living victims of the robberies. Some did survive the attack, and while they talked to officers, it had been a couple days. He needed to build a rapport with them, get a feeling on just what their opinions were, see things for himself._

_He didn't get back into the precinct until about an hour before his shift ended, looking like he had walked half of Detroit. Which, he had. He got some food off a vendor, just something quick between stops, but was mostly running off of double shot mocha expressos. He had managed to talk to each survivor, and even some friends that hung around near the buildings, getting a pretty good idea of what he was heading into._

_This had to be gang related. Some kind of organized group. A black van, no windows. Three men and a driver, all black, full coverage. People who owed debts, or people that associated with other gangs. He itched to get back and start linking this with the victims, but that would be another day. Instead, he went straight to his terminal, offering a wave to Tina and sitting down. He pulled out the tablet and pen, wanting to physically write instead of type for now, as he made a spider web chart._

_In minutes, everything connected to a single point, pulling up what records he could without warrants. Likewise stolen objects, debts similar- everything color coded connections to each other. Gavin grinned with the progress and finally sat back, checking his phone. He messaged Chloe a quick Almost done with work best girl and then looking around to see who he could bullshit with for a couple minutes before asking Fowler to leave early._

Hank seemed to notice his mood as he passed over his soda. It was one of the few things he'd drink even knowing that it messed with his systems in a painful way. 

He took a few sips before handing it back to Hank. "The case?" 

He nods and rests on the table on his elbows. "From what I could tell, they hadn't even done anything to provoke the unsub other than live. Even with all of Markus's hard work things like this still happen!" His voice raised to almost a shout. 

"Yeah, humans suck," Hank grumbled. "Humans don't change fast, if at all when it comes to things like this. The fucker probably doesn't even think he's killing them. Though, maybe doing this made him realize."

"You changed." He points out. Hank shrugs and takes another bite of his food, Connor had to hold his tongue from telling him how unhealthy it is. 

"Yeah, well I had you. I never really was against androids, I was just angry and upset." He knew that, but still. 

It seemed to be human meant you had the ability to kill for… fun. Animals, they didn't kill like that. They killed to eat so they survive. This, this wasn't needed to live at all. 

Connor checks his text and smiles when he sees one from Gavin. Hank looks over and ruffles his hair, but Connor swats his hand away. 

It's a messy case, two androids dead. How's yours going?

They finish lunch and get back to work, going around to the people who supposedly knew the androids. Connor keeps track of all their information. 

They have a few suspects, but it was just as likely that a hate group was responsible. There was no calling card or signature, so if it was a hate group, they didn't want to be known. At least, not yet. 

The two androids knew and we're connected to a surprising amount of people. One of them was even one of the few that stood up with Markus and escaped Jericho. 

They'd definitely need to stop by Jericho to see if anyone there knew anything. If not, then it was back to the hate groups. 

_Unable to reply the whole day- he didn't do much talking, he did see the notification when he sat down to chat. No one was around, all too busy, and Gavin knew that was partially his own stupidity for never coming back in for a break. He brushed it off before taking time to respond. Looking at the chart, he knew he would get scolded for heading into a case like this, but shrugged it off._

_Connor wasn't here now to scold him, and besides, he was only doing footwork right now._

_ Shit- if you guys need my help or anything you know I'll keep an ear out. my case has all been footwork today. running round and asking all the survivors their version, confirming everything. _

_Chloe messaged him back and Gavin got up, turning off his terminal before poking his head into the open door of Fowler's office. "Ey cap- got something family related to do, mind if I head out a few early? I put in extra time this morning." Fowler blinked, then Gavin saw him pull out his time in._

_"That you did- have you made any progress?"_

_"Getting an idea this is related to something bigger- filed for all the autopsy reports to be ready by tomorrow and going to do camera watching as well." Fowler sighed, rubbing the side of his temple._

_"Alright alright- just remember you're supposed to be taking it easy, just as much as the other two. You better not be getting into any trouble." The man got a grin to that, already walking off._

_"No promises cap!" He was sure this wasn't anything too big- professionals, but the robberies were too small. Just some pressure pushers and he'd take them out._

_Gavin sent Connor a message as he walked to his car._

_ I wont be seeing you today- had to go over and help eboy with some projects. but I'll talk to you tomorrow, make sure youre there in the morning.  _

__ _He sent a wink emoji after, wanting the other to wonder what he had planned._

Hank drove them to Jericho as Connor went over the evidence once again. He did pause to respond to Gavin. 

Thank you, it's most likely a hate group. I'll make sure to be there. Stay safe, love.

Then he got back to going over the evidence before they pulled up. They hopped out and made their way in. A few came up to Connor to say hi, while others just glanced over. 

"Connor!" Josh calls out, jogging over. Connor smiles and pulls him into a hug. "Markus didn't say you were coming over." 

"Sadly I'm not here for socializing. We've got a case." Connor sighs. Josh pulls his lips in but nods. 

"Anything you need?" 

Connor looks around, but doesn't see any reason they couldn't discuss this here. "Madelyn Holder AP400, and Cian Wattsa BL100 were found dead in their apartment. They were stabbed multiple times and then beaten to the point they were almost completely unrecognizable, even for me." 

Josh flinches, obviously trying not to think about too much. "We'll need to talk to anyone who knew them." Josh nods again. 

"Right, I'll send that out. Markus wanted to talk to you, also you ok? We haven't gotten to talk much after the fire." Josh says, patting his shoulder. 

Connor shrugs, still too focused on the case at hand. "I'm doing well. I'm sure we can talk more later. Is Markus in his office?" 

If Josh had kept his LED Connor knew it would be spinning yellow. "He is, be safe alright? We can't lose you." 

With that Connor gives him a quick smile before motioning for Hank to follow him. They take the elevators up to Markus. He knocks on the door and walks in when called to. 

"Ah, Connor. How are you? And Lieutenant Anderson, a pleasure as always," Markus says, standing up from his desk. He's wearing more comfortable clothes, so he probably doesn't have a meeting anytime soon.

Connor couldn't imagine doing what he does. "I'm well, except for the case. Josh said you wanted to talk to me?" 

Hank gives a small nod in acknowledgement. Markus walks around the desk, leaning back on it and clasping his hands in front of himself. 

"I did. Josh also just informed me on the case. I hadn't gotten to actually see you, and thank you. You saved my life once again, and many others." There was a knock at the door and Connor looked back. 

He barely has time to see North before she's running through the door and pulling him into a hug. She picks him up for a second before putting him back down. "Connor! You bitch, you should have come over sooner!" 

Connor laughs and hugs her back. "Well, I'm here now, but I'm working a case." 

"Oh shit, right. What can we do to help? Do I need to punch a human, I'll do it. You know I will." Oh he knew. He had to stop her a few times himself. 

"We gotta talk to a few people," Hank cuts in. North let's go and turns to Hank, punching him in the shoulder. 

"Hey old man! Now, you're a cool human. I wouldn't punch you." Connor has to bite his tongue to stop from laughing. 

"You literally just did." Hank points out. North shrugs and turns to Markus. 

"Some ugly Congress fucker wants to talk to you." She says before turning to Connor, kissing his cheek and walking out. 

There's a moment of silence before they all snicker. "Alright, Josh said the people who knew them will be in meeting room seven. When you get a chance, you should actually come hangout without having to save all of us." Markus says, pushing away from his desk, and walking back around to sit. 

"I will, thank you." Connor nods, walking out and towards the meeting room. Hank gives a nod to Markus and follows him out. 

It doesn't take too long to talk to the other androids as quite a few of them are willing to share with an interface. 

It's still about time to stop when they finish talking to everyone. They now have more suspects, but no one is obviously the killer. They'll have to do more later. 

They decide to check in at the office, filing the information they gathered before going home. 

_The rest of his day was spent- oddly. Heading over to Elijah's was no big deal, he pulled in and as usual, never had to knock by the time he got to the door. Perks of having the same car over the years, he supposed. He did greet Chloe with a hug, and hoped she wasn't scanning him. "A new coat and rather fitting clothes- someone finally stopped rooting through the trash for a sense of fashion."_

_Gavin snickered, shrugging his shoulders. "Got reasons not to wanna look like a street hobo all the time."_

_"You mean a reason." Gavin huffed, but then his chin was tilted towards her. "Your nose is healing nicely-" Her eyes flicked downwards and she gave off an amused smile. Gavin immediately pulled away, feeling heat rise to his face. "Did you two even wait?"_

_"I'm not discussing this! Please tell me I don't have to go in front of all the girls like this..." Chloe's face fell a bit, and she turned to the rest of the house._

_"Not- all of them. Quite a few are- a bit- leery... After everything that's happened. Me, Cierra, Cindy, and Nicole have finished as you asked though- it's even in a basket, along with sandwiches for you and some fruit." Gavin understood their fear, even if it made heat roll in his chest. He was glad he was doing this alone after all._

_"And T's party?" That got Chloe to brighten up._

_"That's actually why you're here today, Gavin dearest." Oh no. She never said his name like that without some kind of disaster following. He just sucked in a breath, holding it before letting it out as he spoke._

_"Okay- let's see what the hell you guys are up to then." Chloe's LED spun yellow quickly before settling to blue, and she led the way through the house. Rather than the basement lab, they headed back to the more 'public' lab, as in the nice and pretty one that Elijah would show house guests._

_"If the shoe fits! Chloe has a cupcake recipe she made extra of after she made some for that party you have, but I need someone to essentially help the girls party. And we both know I'm not very- good at that."_

_Of all the things he could've asked to do- "Yeah sure, let's get this party started."_

_The night wasn't that bad. There were some- hiccups- with the recipe. Literally and figuratively. But by the end of the night Elijah had both cured two Chloes of their suddenly lime green- everything, and perfected the margarita drink. Several drunk girls and one extremely tired detective later, Gavin was handed two gallons of the drink, carefully marked off, and a third one. "For Jericho- tell them it was sent to you because you know Chloe."_

_Gavin now had a car full of drinks and food and way too much excitement to sleep. But he still messaged Connor a quick- Night! Love you! before heading to bed._

They worked the case, talking it out until they were both exhausted from the facts. They wouldn't be able to do much more with their information and tiredness. 

"Oh, Hank I'm unsure what Gavin has planned but he asked that we, well I, be at the station in the morning." Connor said. 

Hank grumbled and rubbed at his tired eyes. "Alright, I'm gonna head to bed. You should sleep too." Connor goes to argue but he cuts him off. "I know you were going to stay up all night. Sleep." 

Connor frowned but nodded his head. Hank wasn't wrong. He had planned on staying up, trying to find anything they hadn't noticed. 

He could still analyze the information again while in stasis, but it wouldn't be as effective. He stayed up a bit longer, blinking when he got a text. 

Good night, love. Sleep well, love you too.

He stood up from the couch, giving Sumo one last scratch before heading to his room. He doesn't bother changing into pajamas, just stripping out of his clothes and flopping onto his bed. 

_Getting up in the morning, Gavin had a plan. Shower first, and a quick bagel, he went digging through his clothes. He didn't have to dress to meet people, so he dressed up for Connor, finding a tighter button up and leaving the top two buttons undone. He debated between two he had- baby blue and a sunset orange, but went with the latter as he threw his coat over his shoulder. He really debated on pants, but went with black jeans, knowing he shouldn't go with dress pants unless it was too obvious._

_He grabbed his guitar and the coords he needed to play it through some portable speakers, and made sure to pack ice in the picnic basket so it would last in the car. Or rather, empty all the ice and stop to get more ice- he turned his entire trunk into a freezer. Over-prepared- maybe. He didn't do any makeup besides eye liner and, ok, a little sparkle on his neck and hair, but just because he felt like it._

_Finger gunning to the reflection, throwing in a blanket to cover the guitar on the backseat, he hurried to the station. He made sure to text Connor at a red light, a quick morning angel before the light turned, and he was at the precinct a couple minutes early. He felt- nervous- despite all they had done, this was more or less an actual- date._

_Gavin felt stupidly young at the idea of this going right. Still, he moved to the breakroom, grabbing a coffee and looking over to Tina, who whistled. "Did someone kill you and replace you with a doppelganger or-"_

_"You wish- maybe the fake-me wouldn't point out your zipper's down... Made you look."_

_"Bitch." Gavin grinned, and Tina laughed at that. He kept his eyes out to the hallway though, waiting for Connor._

He jolted awake, but not because he had a bad dream, but because he had an idea on the case. He filed it away for now as he got up and got ready. He went about his daily morning routine, but now added with stretches he hadn't done last night. 

He makes breakfast and grabs a bottle of thirium, eating some of the last bits of food from Kamski. 

He has to wake Hank up, and gets flipped off for it. He smiles and shakes his head, leaving Hank's room. He knew he'd get up on his own now that he was awake. 

They eventually make it to the car, this time Hank drives. He also turns on music and Connor softly sings along while looking out the window. 

Traffic isn't too bad so they make it there quickly, and Connor hops out of the car. He honestly has no idea what Gavin could be planning but he was excited to find out. 

Hank grumbles again when he has to practically pull his arm to make him go faster. He's half tempted to just leave him and go in, but he walks in with Hank. 

He looks around and when he doesn't see Gavin at his desk he heads to the break room. He gives a few hellos to the people that hadn't been there to see him back. 

_"Are you gonna tell me what you're up to Gav or am I expected to guess?"_

_"I got plans."_

_"You've been hanging with E haven't you." Gavin shrugged to that, not thinking he was being that level of cryptic. Then again, he was leaning against the counter, coffee in one hand and jacket hooked on two fingers over his shoulder._

_"Maybe."_

_Tina snickered and then nodded to the hallway, being the first to notice, nudging Gavin as Hank and Connor make it in, Gavin having actually zoned out from staring at his coffee. When he looks up, he's quick to put the cup down, checking the break room for who all is in it so he doesn't embarrass either of them. It was just Tina and Chris, and Chris was watching the news._

_Ok, also so he didn't embarrass himself when he somehow fucked this up. It was simple- just a date. "Hey angel, good morning." He started, getting a slap on the back by Tina as she stole his coffee and walked off to the table. He had only a sip out of that- the bitch._

_Gavin waited to see if Hank was joining him in the breakroom- he didn't mind, he just wouldn't get the kiss he wanted._

Hank looked between them before shaking his head and heading to his desk. Apparently the need to not watch them be gushy outweighed the need for coffee. 

Connor grinned as he walked up to Gavin, giving a small wave to Tina. "Good morning, love. Did you make any headway on your case?"

He looks Gavin over with a smile. He reaches out and runs his hand down Gavin's arm before holding his hand and deactivating the skin. 

He still can't help the very slight shiver from exposing the chassis on his hand. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to fully hug Gavin without any skin on at all. Though, he'd definitely glow very brightly and if he wasn't already smiling, that thought alone would bring a grin to his lips.

_Relief didn't hit Gavin per say, but he definitely wasn't picking on Hank for the rest of the week. He took in the grin, smiling widely though he could feel the nerves so easily._

_"Think I am. Got some ideas about it, not doing nothing but reviewing cameras and checking out the autopsies for those who didn't survive their robberies." Gavin focused on their hands, casually bringing Connor's up to kiss on top of the knuckles. He saw how Connor shivered, how his grin got a little wider._

_"Hey, I know how you are both working on this case, but do you think you could get back here on time to get off? I mean- On time- to time out- no-" Fuck fuck fuck-_

_Gavin looked down, grin turning to the one he put on when he had to be confident. He was sure Connor could see through it but it was habit._

_"I have a surprise after work. Just- wanted to know if you'll be able to- be back in time to- for- the surprise." There really wasn't a time, just imagined after work, but if Gavin was out until way past sunset it wouldn't be as good._

Connor practically cooed at Gavin stumbling over his words, but held it back. He was just so adorable like this that he almost wanted to let him keep going. 

Instead he decided to spare him. He used his free hand to tilt Gavin's head up from under his chin. He then leaned down the rest of the way and kissed him softly but deeply. He didn't let it last too long, they were at work after all. 

"I'll make sure of it." He set an alarm in his head to make sure he would get back to the station in time. He still didn't know what Gavin was planning, but seeing him so thoroughly flustered made him all the more excited. 

_It still amazed him how easily Connor could soothe him, but it was definitely a good thing. He kissed back, his free hand cupping Connor's shoulder, carefully of course, his thumb rubbing softly._

_"Good- great- I'll see you then." He stole another kiss, hearing Tina snicker behind him before he pulled away. "I'm thinking I owe Hank a coffee huh?" It was a deflection, but if he thought too much of that right now he'd be a mess by the end of the day. At least now he knew to practice all day- it had been a while- long while- since he played for someone, but he still remembered how._

_Tina and Chris made to leave, Tina playfully winking to them both. "Have fun boys!" She called out to them as she left, Chris shaking his head but grinning too._

Connor let's his hand rest on the crook of Gavin's neck, gently rubbing circles. He lets the skin on the pads of his fingers deactivat, enjoying the feeling of Gavin's pulse.

They both had work to do, and they should probably start soon. "I can get it for him, it's alright. It was his fault for dragging his feet this morning." Though, working later into the night was also partly Connor's fault, so he wouldn't get onto Hank for having a slow morning.

He did let Gavin go, though he did so very slowly. He glances over and gives Tina and Chris a smile and a wave. "Stay safe out there." 

_"I'm always safe- I should be saying that to you, hero. I love ya Con- You're going to love tonight." Damn, he was still so excited, looking to the machine and then deciding he could do with just a water honestly. Or a cold soda._

_He finally pulled away, though he was reluctant to let go of Connor's hand. He really missed being held already, but he was excited to get back to the case. "I should get started on working so I'm done in time- got the morgue to visit first. Fun times." He shook his head, and went for the vending machine, grabbing an orange mountain dew._

_As he walked back over he blew a kiss to Connor this time, grinning still. "Oh- and remember- if your arm feels stiff- stretch it!" He walked out on that, moving to his desk, definitely beaming a little bit._

He felt a bit daring, and no one was looking so he gave a very light slap to Gavin's ass. Before Gavin can even get the chance to look back he's at the coffee maker acting like he did nothing at all. 

He makes Hank's coffee, grimacing at how much sugar and creamer he puts in. He understood liking sweet stuff, but Hank had to know this much sugar wasn't healthy. Oh well, they had a case to work on and arguing over coffee wasn't going to help. 

He walks over to their desks, setting down Hank's coffee. He sits down, pulling up the computer and pulling the skin back again to connect to it. 

He uploads all of his case notes to the computer and sends them over to Hank's. They'd need to bring in a man to get his fingerprints. They'd have to convince the man first, but that should be pretty simple. 

Connor just wanted to go over all the evidence one more time before doing so. Once again he picks up a pen, absentmindedly chewing on the end. Sometimes the chewing stops and he just holds it in his mouth or even sucks on it.

He's almost done going over the case when the pen breaks under his teeth. He winces at the taste of ink on his tongue and pulls the pen away, throwing it in the trash. 

Some of the ink gets on his lips and he wipes it off, glaring at Hank as he laughs at him. He flips him off and gets up to go to the bathroom. 

Thankfully no ink got on his shirt, but it definitely got on his tongue. He cups his hand under the faucet, bringing the water to his lips. He swishes it around before spitting it out. 

_To say Gavin jumped was an understatement, the man nearly hit the ceiling. He flushed, not from embarrassment or anger but because he couldn't get the other back and that was cheeky. He has to put it out of his mind as he gets back to work though._

_True to his word, he didn't really leave the DPD. He went to the morgue, seen a couple bodies, talked with the NCIS fan and quoted Ducky at each other, got an 'Okay Dinozzo' from him and walked off with more files. More questions. However he tied some links in as well, drawing out all the leads and ties he got._

_The camera searching he did for the rest of the day was tedious, but when his alarm rang ten minutes before he had to leave, he realized a few things._

_One: holy shit. This gang wasn't small at all, and some faces he recognized from previous busted gangs. That made things a bit more challenging, so he had to make sure he was only going to target the crew._

_Two: He had unconsciously strummed, beat out, and hummed the song in parts, all quietly, but he muscle memorized this shit and felt confident._

_Three: He also felt sick to his stomach because this was happening. He finished up with his work, sending a quick email of his findings, or lack thereof, to Fowler, and a rundown of tomorrow's plan. Tomorrow- he was hitting up contacts and talking about the gang itself, what level of control they had on the markets- and then looking in to the specifics of what had been missing from each place._

_Why did some die and some survive? There had to be more to it. But he forced that all out of his head, instead getting up and taking a deep breath. He looked over to Connor and Hank, and went to the breakroom first. He gets Hank a cup of water, seeing as he probably needed it, and brings it over with him, setting it casually on the desk. "Any news on your case?"_

Once he had washed his mouth out he went back to his desk, flipping off Hank when he started to tease him. 

They brought in their main suspect and Connor questioned him. Either the man was an amazing liar or he hadn't done it, which was frustrating. Connor hadn't expected to solve the case after just talking to him, but he had hoped. 

That still left his idea. It wouldn't be fun, but it had a chance at working. When he told Hank his plan he instantly turned it down. 

"Hank, we could solve the case! I don't even know if it'll actually work." He argued. 

Hank shook his head, "no. You'll be able to feel it won't you?" 

Hank was right, if this worked he'd be able to feel what the androids had felt. "No, I'll just be accessing their memories, not their feelings on them." He really hated lying. 

Hank sighed and gave him a pointed stare, but finally nodded his head. Connor had a feeling Hank knew he had lied. 

They make their way into evidence, Connor now having his own account and password to use. 

Their memories were the few parts that remained almost completely untouched. He opens the panel in his neck, finding the spot and plugging it in. He had to agree with Cyberlife on this, it helped to have extra ports for things like this. 

Then he pulled up the memories. It was terrible to say the least. He could feel how terrified they were, how angry they were to watch their lover die. 

Then he saw his face. That was all he needed. He took what is basically a screenshot, stopped the memories and pulled it out of his neck. 

He put the memory card back into the evidence case with shaky hands. Hank sighs softly and walks up. He doesn't even say anything, just pulls him into a hug. 

Connor eventually pulls away, pulling up the image and scanning the man's face. 

"We've got him." He mumbles. Hank gives a nod and pats him on the shoulder. 

They bring him in, then head to their desks to fill out the paperwork. Well, Hank fills out his part of the paperwork, Connor does his in his head. 

He looks up when Gavin comes over, smiling at him. Hank takes the water and gives him a slight nod in thanks. 

"I had to access their memory, and we found the man. We haven't questioned him yet, but we'll do that tomorrow. I'm 99% certain it was due to hate of androids. We'll have to find out if he was part of a hate group or not." He says, glancing at his desk. "You?"

He hadn't noticed before but some of the ink from the pen spilled onto the edge of his desk. He'd have to clean that later, maybe tomorrow.

_Hearing 'I had to access their memory' immediately made him want to hug Connor, but instead he spared Hank, choosing to place his hand on the other's shoulder. He knew that couldn't have been easy. He'd have to figure out some kind of work-around so Connor could review memory files without full transfer._

_He looked down to his desk as Connor did, his eyebrows furrowing at the puddles of black. It- looked like ink. Did he snap a pen at some point? "No actual progress. The autopsies aligned with the ideas I had before, and if anything only brought up more questions I'll have to work through. I did see some interesting faces on the cameras tied into where the van stopped at afterwards- for all their professionalism they forgot it's not that hard to track a car like theirs."_

_Okay, professionalism shouldn't have been the word to use but he couldn't take it back, so instead he switched the subject. "Well, Anderson- I'm taking Connor with me. I may or may not have something that'll cheer you up after today." Gavin had kept his hand in his pocket, but now it fussed with the hem of his shirt, hopefully out of view. Thankfully he was well past the stage of saying 'if that's fine with you' to Anderson, but he did want to let him know that Connor had plans tonight._

_It didn't feel right to keep Hank out of the loop with things, given how much had happened. He pulled out his phone to check the temperature, glad it was warm enough to not really need the coat until the sun set. "Are you ready to go?"_

He leaned into Gavin's touch, glad for the contact. He didn't regret accessing their memory, but that didn't stop the ache in his heart from it. It was one thing to see it and another to go through it. 

"Seems like progress to me," he points out. All progress, even small amounts, was good. 

Hank looked at Connor then back to Gavin. "Sure, just bring him back in on-" he cuts himself off, cringing at his ording. Connor subconsciously rolled his bad shoulder just slightly. 

"Uh, just have fun. Bring him back alive." Hank says, looking back at his desk. 

Connor touches his own computer, logging his time and turning it off. "I am. Hank, make sure to drive safely." 

Hank waves him off and Connor stands, pushing his chair in. "Also, could you get a few pens on the way home?" 

Hank sighs but nods. "Yeah, just stop sucking on them." Connor sticks his tongue out. It helps him think so he probably won't stop. 

_For a moment Gavin felt bad for Hank. He knew he meant well, but it was easy to tell he was still getting used to this too. Gavin squeezes the shoulder he has under his hand. "We'll be safe." He promises, moving away as Connor shuts off the computer._

_At the pens comment he lets out an 'ohh', smirking a bit as he looks to the ink spot. Try as he might to keep the image out of his head, he definitely pictures Connor, determined, pen in mouth- alright no, nope, don't think of that._

_"I'm heading out to the car so you two can talk- meet me out by the car?" He leans in to peck Connor's cheek, feeling just brave enough to do so. He grabbed his coat and keys then, waving to Hank as he walks out. Mostly, he needed to make sure Connor couldn't tell what's in the back seat- and that the trunk was still a mini-freezer._

_Thankfully it was, nothing too frozen either. Closing it and peering into the back seat everything is well covered by the blanket and undisturbed, so he throws the coat on top of the pile, just in case, and waits by the driver's side. Finally deciding to let Tina into the secret, now that she was clear from spilling it, he messages her._

_ Btw I did dress up for a reason- taking Connor to the park for a date. Got the guitar out. _

_It wasn't even half a minute before he was spammed with emojis._

"Do you have any idea what he's planning?" He asks. 

Hank shrugs, "no idea. Not like he asks me for date ideas. If he did I might gag." 

Connor snorts and double checks he has everything. "Alright, not sure when I'll be back home so don't forget to eat dinner. There should be some leftovers in the fridge." 

Hank waves him off and Connor makes his way out to the car. He sees Gavin on the phone so he walks up as quietly as possible. 

"Ready to go." 

_Jumping just slightly, he looks up and pouts to Connor. "Sneaky." He puts the phone away, before leaning in for a hug. "You know, if you ever need attention through the day Connor- no matter what I'm doing, I will put it down and focus on you." He wanted the other to know it was ok to ask for attention. Gavin knew he would at some point, probably when the case actually started to stress him._

_Letting go, he nods over to the passenger side. "I hope you two didn't have to run around too much today," is the only hint he gives, smiling a little bit as he opens the driver's side door and gets in._

He shrugs and sticks his tongue out just slightly. "You love me." 

He did give a slight pause. He knew he could but he didn't want to interrupt how work, especially if he had a lead. He also knew he'd drop everything if Gavin needed him. "I know, thank you." 

He walks around the car and gets in, not bothering to buckle. "Not really, the most I really did was stand there and watch the memories. It got us what we needed, though." He shrugs. 

They'd have to take the man's fingerprints tomorrow to make sure they matched but he was almost certain they'd match. If not then they'd have to keep looking, but the man was still involved somehow. 

_"I do- very much- but you're still a sneaky little shit." He didn't turn any music on though he should've, just tapping the beat he'd have to go off of. "So you're good to walk a bit for the perfect spot."_

_He was absolutely being cryptic. The ride to the park wasn't long- traffic wasn't bad coming out of work unless you went out somewhere to eat. So they got down to the park and Gavin swallowed just a bit, moving to find a place to park close enough to the trail he wanted. There were a couple people out and about already._

_"Could you get in the trunk and grab what's in it," he asked as he put the car in park. He couldn't look over because he was pretty sure he was grinning like a mad man at all this, but he did get out as he finished talking. He went to the backseat, waiting for Connor to move to the trunk before grabbing out the guitar._

He was practically vibrating as Gavin drove, excited to know what he had planned. It was very rare that he didn't really know what was going to happen or what had been planned. 

At the park he felt his heart skip a small beat. It definitely made sense from what Gavin had been saying, and his question on the weather. 

It was an absolutely adorable and amazing idea. Even if it was just walking around he knew he'd enjoy himself. 

At Gavin's request he nodded and hopped out, walking to the back. He opens it up and once again his heart skips a beat. A picnic. Gavin had planned a picnic and probably went to Kamski to get food so they could both eat. He was so giving Gavin a very long kiss once they are seated. 

He grabs the stuff and walks around to Gavin. 

_Rolling up the blanket and coat and tucking it under his arm, Gavin held onto the speaker and cord in his hand and the guitar in the other, nudging the door shut with his knee._

_He turned to face Connor just in time, grinning and holding up the items. "Surprise. I figured- we haven't really gotten to do an actual- go out date yet. So I went by Eli's yesterday, helped him out with something and had the girls help me put a picnic basket together." He couldn't stop grinning, way too happy at the smile the other hand._

_"This trail here leads to a pond- only the occasional jogger runs down it most of the time so we shouldn't get bothered either." He knew Connor liked the attention of his fans, but that it would be a little much right after work. He hopefully thought of everything for this- minus any interruption from like, an animal._

"This is amazing, thank you!" He said, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "This is a wonderful idea." He had been thinking about things to do for a first date, and was glad Gavin had picked this. 

He wondered if dogs were allowed here, if so he'd love to come again but with Sumo as well. 

He loves the idea of a nice picnic without any interruptions. The case was stressful and this would be a wonderful way to relax. 

The starts down the trail, staying close to Gavin's side. He looks around and breathes in deeply, letting his shoulders drop. 

_"I'm really glad you like it Con." He was- there wasn't anything else he could think to say, just sagging in relief that the other had liked this idea. He led the way to where he knew the pond was, the trail one long curve with a couple dips in it. The pond was a bit off the path too- not so much where they wouldn't be completely hidden away but enough people could easily pass them by. When it was silent you could faintly hear it from the path, and Gavin lead them right over to it._

_The trees were just starting to become green again, and some flowers already stubbornly poked up. Still, there were some fish in the pond and some lily pads, and a powered little rock fountain to keep the water moving. Gavin set everything down, spreading out the blanket so they could sit and then putting his guitar on his coat, off to the side._

_"I'm not going to lie, I haven't actually done a picnic date before. Camping, sure- but that was more a group thing the whole DPD went to with Allen's team. So I'm actually sorry if I forget something." He smiled more sheepishly at that, looking to Connor. Seeing him so relaxed, with the sun on him, he wasn't reminded of how beautiful Connor was- because he always knew that._

_But he was stunned all the same. Connor did look like an angel like this._

"Well, you don't have to worry about that. All of this is new to me." He shrugs. He didn't have anything to compare this to, so it'll be the best picnic he's ever been on regardless. 

He can't wait to see what summer is like. He knew it could be unbearable in some places just like it could be unbearably cold in northern states. 

He didn't know what his favorite season was yet as he hadn't experienced all of them, but so far he very much enjoyed spring. Maybe he could grow some flowers along with fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Then, one day he can make a meal for Gavin and Hank out of just the things he's grown. 

He has to shake himself out of that thought. He had found that he thought about the future much more than he ever had recently. Maybe it was due to Gavin or just being generally excited for life now that he was free. 

He stops for a second when he sees a patch of clovers, and finds a clump that are four-leafed. He picks one and stands up, showing it to Gavin. "Most people think clovers like these just represent luck but they can also represent faith, hope, love, and success. Having four leafs is a mutation so if you find one there is a high probability of finding more in that area." 

_The last thing to do was set down the basket and unpack it, but Gavin just pulled out drinks for now, blinking as Connor found the clover. "They're also edible. You can fry the blossoms. Though I wouldn't go about eating clovers in random parks- when I was a kid I'd pick them out of the school yard towards this one spot that no one really hung out in. I was a stupid kid for not washing them but- I'd eat the leaves."_

_He was told, when he was caught as he got older doing that by a teacher, that the blossoms were edible too, good for tea or roasted. He still had yet to try that. "It's an acquired taste though- they're bitter and grassy. But- I can also drink coffee black and would chew on wild grass... Can you tell I was the kid that put anything in his mouth." He laughed at that, shaking his head._

_Growing up it meant he'd try anything once, and he was real lucky he wasn't allergic to anything. "Wanna come sit- there- well obviously- there is something I wanna do for ya. But I figured we can rest and eat first."_

Connor nodded and sat down beside Gavin. He leaned against him just slightly but not enough to inhibit movement. "Quite a few plants are edible, but there are plenty of plants that look similar that are poisonous." 

Another perk of being an android. Even when he can eat he doesn't need to, so he wouldn't need to worry about that in an emergency situation. It was also basically impossible to poison him unless it was something specific for androids. 

"You should probably stick to eating foods that you know for a fact are safe." He says, bumping their shoulders together. 

"You're an acquired taste," he jokes, "and I very much love it." He reaches over and turns Gavin's head so he can kiss him. 

_"One of these days we should go hiking- you can hand me plants and I'll try to eat them." He wasn't entirely joking- it honestly seemed like a fun idea to go berry hunting and running through the woods. Plus, he was sure that Connor would love the wildlife._

_He took a drink before humming, debating on a joke to fire back at Connor. "I'll take my chances when it comes to eating you out." He winked to him then, laughing at the shoulder bump. He definitely wasn't prepared for the smooth line that followed it._

_His face turned a little red and he pushed into the kiss, one hand raising to brace himself on Connor's chest. "Smooth bastard- I love you so much." He didn't pull back, quite liking being close after having distance for a couple days. If he could, he'd lay in Connor's lap right here honestly._

_But he was reminded of his goal. He looked over, wondering how to bring it up. When- right now kinda felt nice but how- "So- we're both agreed that concerts- aren't our thing right?" Ok- that worked._

He couldn't stop his face blushing, but lovingly kissed him. He put an arm behind them to hold himself up. "Love you too." 

"Though it would be fun to find wild plants that you can eat. Of course it's better to wash them first, but still." He reaches up and runs a hand through his own hair. 

The weather was nice and the breeze made it even more pleasant. At the mention of concerts he nods his head and glances at the guitar. "We did." 

_Watching the movement, he took the chance he had while they were pulled apart. "Well I was thinking- I've talked about playing, and uh, you've heard me hum- some songs. I'll admit, not my best works." He snickered at that, because he knew Connor heard him sing before._

_But not to him, not for a reason he felt whole-heartedly. "I was thinking, why not just- knock a couple experiences- out of the park- in one go?" He grinned at the pun, pulling over the guitar and unwinding the cord for it. It was easy to hook it up- a simple electric guitar. It looked well worn, no fancy engravings just well used black polish. He had to fiddle with the strings, make sure none were untuned from not having been played._

_"Don't tell Tina about this because the last time I played and sang she was trying to get me to join a band again, but- I wanted to play for you." He wasn't as shy as starting, feeling much more at ease and confident, and watched Connor's face for his reaction as he finished up readying the instrument._

He couldn't stop the snort at the pun. "Dork," he mumbles, kissing his cheek again. He had heard Gavin sing and he very much enjoyed it. 

Even before deviating he enjoyed music. There was just something so alive about it that drew him in. Then the more he listened the more amazing it became. There were songs about almost anything you could think of. Songs that could make you cry while others you could jump around to and laugh. It was amazing. 

He could definitely see Tina trying to get him to join a band. It would be quite hilarious if the dpd had a band. Connor could sing, but he could use anyone's voice. He could sound like any music artist they wanted him to. 

"I'd love to hear you sing and play." He says, smiling softly at him. He does reach over and pull his shoes off, setting them to the side. 

He'd definitely would want to run around on the grass barefooted, it just looked so soft. But, they could do that later, for now he really wanted to hear Gavin sing. 

_Tucking one leg under him so the guitar rested evenly on his lap, he strummed out a chord, one last check, before tapping out a rhythm. It was easy then to start strumming, a light tune and it already had a little red to his face._

_"I found a love- for me. Darling just dive right in, and follow my lead." He looked up to Connor now that he could spare the focus away from the guitar. Sure, the song was done on an acoustic, but it wasn't too different on his electric._

_"Well- I found a boy. Beautiful and sweet- I never knew you were the someone, waiting for me." He rocked a bit with the swell of the song. "Cause we were just kids when we fell in love- not knowing what it was. I will not give you up this time. But darling just kiss me slow- your heart is all I own. And in your eyes you're holding mine."_

_He knew there was a smile on his face, and probably a faint red to it too. He could feel his heart beat like a jackhammer. There was a reason he chose this song, beyond how his deeper voice fit slower songs. It had perfect lyrics for them he only had to edit a bit._

He hasn't heard this song before, but his brain unhelpfully supplied the name. He pushed it away and just listened to Gavin. 

He wished he could reach out and interface with Gavin to show him- to let him feel- how much love and affection was coursing through him. But he couldn't, and that was ok. He knew anyone looking in would see how much he loved him from his facial expression alone. 

He couldn't help but agree with the lyrics. He was technically still very young, and all of this was new. Even with all that he knew he loved Gavin. He knew what he was feeling was good. 

But he also knew Gavin was human. He knew that as long as nothing happened in the field he'd watch Gavin grow old as he stayed the same. That was the only real reason he wished to be human, so he could grow old too. So he could grow old with Gavin. 

_Connor looked adorable like this, and Gavin wished he could multitask. To kiss him and play for him at the same time. "Baby I'm- dancing in the dark. With you between my arms. Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song. When you said you looked a mess, I whispered underneath my breath-"_

_He couldn't stay looking at Connor, not with the look he was getting. It made him heat up in the face and feel fifteen and not thirty six. Too much and everything he wanted, to have Connor's attention in a way that didn't worry them both or feel like it needed to lead elsewhere. "But you heard it- darling you look perfect tonight."_

_There wasn't a big break between choruses, but it was fine. "Well I found a man, stronger than anyone I know. He shares my dreams, I hope that someday I'll share his home. I found a love, to carry more than just my secrets. To carry love, to carry little ones, of our own." He changed that lyric- mostly because he didn't think either of them were ready for children. Little ones could be pets or anything, really._

_"Cause we are still kids but we're so, in love. Fighting against all odds-" He leaned back at that, feeling a lot more relaxed and becoming animated. "I know we'll be alright- this time." He was even brave enough to try winking at the other. "Darling just hold my hand- Be my guy I'll be your man- I can see the future in your eyes."_

He couldn't take his eyes off of Gavin. The noises of the park just seemed to die away as he listened. He wanted to hold Gavin's hand, but he needed both to play. So he rested a hand on Gavin's leg where it wouldn't be in the way. 

He could definitely see himself living with Gavin in the future. Waking up together and going to work. Coming home after a long day and just being able to relax with each other. 

Connor would gladly make food, and brew coffee in the morning. The days they could just stay in bed all morning, cuddling with each other. 

He could definitely see them getting a puppy if Gavin let him. He definitely loved Gavin's cats but he had a soft spot for dogs. Also fish. 

He knew he'd never be able to actually become captain, but Gavin definitely had the possibility. He'd love to be there when it does, if that's what Gavin wanted. 

_The beginning of the chorus repeated, Gavin grinning while singing and relaxing even more at the soft touch. "When I saw you in your best, looking so beautiful- I don't deserve this, darling you look perfect- tonight." He finally got to just a playing part, focusing on strumming the notes right. He saw Connor's hand as he looked down and again felt so much- just seeing him there with him._

_"Baby I'm- dancing in the dark, with you between my arms. Barefoot on the grass- listening to our favorite song." He looked up to Connor then, hoping he could see just how happy he was right now. "I have faith in what I see, now I know that I have met an angel- in person- and he looks perfect." It was hard to scoot towards him._

_"I don't deserve this- you look perfect tonight." His heart was beating so loud and yeah, Gavin was so damn in love._

He couldn't help but help thinking 'I love you'. Though, his brain supplied how to say it in every language that was programmed into him. 

Once again he was glad that he would never forget this. The memories would be stored but he could easily access it and view it as many times as he wanted. 

When Gavin finished the song he couldn't hold back anymore. He gently cupped Gavin's cheek and kissed him. 

He was built to be good with words but he thought he could show Gavin better than telling. 

_Easily placing the guitar to the side so he could lean in easier, his own hand came up to hold onto Connor, gently on the side of his neck where it met his shoulder. He would've easily climbed into Connor's lap any other time, but right now he just wanted- this. Something soft and sweet, where Connor felt love and not just want._

_He was the first to pull back, resting his forehead against the other's. He didn't have anymore words so he just held on, enjoying how warm Connor was, and how comfortable he felt._

He couldn't stop smiling into the kiss. This was everything he thought he didn't deserve, and yet here it was. It was still so confusing how some humans still believed they didn't feel, when sometimes it felt like he could feel too much. He supposed he would get used to this amount of emotions in time. 

He reached out and interlaced their fingers, deactivating the skin. "That was amazing. I love you very much," he breathed out. 

_Gavin was happy to run his thumb over the chassis, knowing if he looked down smooth white would meet his own rough hand. Knowing if he looked up he'd see that smile he would bet rivaled any star in the universe. Knowing he caused it made his own smile widen, and he felt so light that only Connor's hand and touch were grounding him._

_"I love you too. I'm really glad you liked that- not going to lie, I haven't done anything like this since I was in highschool yet." He relaxed, noting a breeze had started up, just a slight one, and it nudged him further to Connor's side._

He chuckled and gave him another quick peck. "Well, then I definitely feel special. I very much enjoyed you singing." 

He'd definitely find a way to show Gavin how much he loves and cares for him. He just wasn't sure how. Maybe he could ask Markus for advice. He always seemed like the romantic type, especially when Simon was around. 

If that doesn't work he could ask Hank for advice. It was definitely solicit some teasing and probably grumbling from Hank. 

He could ask North, but that had the probability of her finding Gavin so she could finally threaten him. He honestly had no idea why the humans hadn't instantly given them freedom with her around. He could take her on in a fight but he definitely didn't want to get on her bad side. 

If all else fails he would just find a way himself. He knew he would eventually be able to think of something as he did love Gavin a lot. It didn't help that he was very inexperienced with basically everything. 

_"Pfft- you're always special Con." Moving only to bring the basket closer, he settled where he was and put the guitar to the side. "There's plenty of extra by the way- figured the extras would hold you until the party." He brought out a sandwich for each of them, and looked over as someone was walking._

_He noticed the Doberman, a bejewelled collar and proper walk and nodded to it. "Check out that beauty- damn I love Dobermans." There wasn't many dogs he liked enough to have, but Dobers were definitely top of that list. The dog looked so cool, and he's been around enough to know they can be really sweet, overgrown puppies. Horse puppies but puppies._

_It didn't distract him long, as he was back to watching Connor for his reaction to the dog._

"And you're special to me." He said, moving his arm so he can hold him by his waist. He gladly took the sandwich but instantly looked over when the person walked by.

He was half-tempted to jump up and run over to ask if he could pet it. It was definitely a very beautiful dog, the coat shiny. He stays seated but if he could he'd be vibrating with happiness, instead he started purring. (He still needed to ask Markus if this was normal)

"The Doberman is a fairly new dog breed. The Doberman breed is less than 150 years old. Originating in Germany in the early 1880s. More than two dogs went into creating the Doberman. The German Shorthaired Pointer, Rottweiler, Weimaraner, Manchester Terrier, Great Dane, Beauceron, Black and Tan Terrier, and Greyhound are all part of this dog breed." He had so many facts about dobermans.

_There was no hiding the smile as the other started to infodump again, and if there ever was some kind of impersonator, he had a pretty surefire way of telling them apart he'd think. He leaned up to kiss the other's cheek before settling, taking a bite out of his sandwich as Connor finished up._

_Connor's purring was honestly too damn cute for words and he'd hug and punch Eli for that addition. "No wonder they're one of my favorites- Great Dane and Rotties are up there too." It occurred to him just how domestic this all was- sitting in a park, talking about dogs and eating sandwiches- it felt like a damn dream._

_He couldn't help but to close his eyes and lean into him. Then they opened as he realized something. "Connor- you've never seen the dogshow on tv, have you." With the revolution, he doubted the other had time for Thanksgiving traditions like watching the dogshow instead of football, or watching the kittenbowl. It was a long ways away but it hit him like a train._

"I very much love larger dogs! The small ones are cute but the bigger dogs are often given a bad reputation. Plus, I can pick them all up!" The first time he picked Sumo up Hank looked shocked, and then quickly burst into laughter. 

"Dobermans can do any job. Dobes have been used for police work, coursing, scent tracking, diving, therapy, search and rescue, as well as guiding the blind!" He gladly held Gavin close as he rambled. 

His eyes went wide at the idea of a dog show. "I haven't! I'd very much like to see one though!" He really hoped he'd be able to see one. 

He took a bite of the sandwich and hummed happily. It wasn't just the taste he enjoyed, he loved being able to eat. He liked how human it seemed and made him feel. It was also nice to be able to do something with his mouth when he wasn't talking. 

_"I like- ironically enough- police dogs. Or guard dogs- good protectors. And that's not surprising- you could toss me- we could recreate the 'get help' scene easily." He grinned at the laugh, thinking of Connor launching him at some idiots like a potato sack._

_"Well, I can't take you to one in person, but uh- this year- Hank maybe- wouldn't mind... Could come over for Thanksgiving- watch the dog show and then either football or the kitten bowl, which he watches." He focused on taking a drink so he wouldn't ramble nervously. In all honesty, Gavin never took holidays off, and at most would visit Elijah for maybe an hour. Just to catch up. He hadn't done Thanksgiving dinner in years._

_He focused on now though, finishing off one of his sandwiches and then leaning back to rest on his hands. For a moment he watched the clouds drift by, little small puffs across the sky, and then looks over to Connor, much more content to study him._

"Doing 'Get Help' would most likely end with you also getting hurt, so as funny as it could be, I'd rather not." Though, they could probably find an android strong enough to toss Connor, and he was less likely to be hurt. 

Connor quickly nodded at the suggestion. "I'd love that! I had been so busy after the revolution that I didn't get the chance to experience Thanksgiving. I'm sure Hank would be willing too." He wanted to celebrate holidays like humans did. He knew how much meaning was in it because of family. 

He considered Hank and Gavin part of his family and he really hoped he could create fond memories with them together. 

He also knew how hard holidays were for Hank, especially when he was alone. Actually participating in the holiday with Connor could help somewhat, at least that's what Connor hoped.

"I could also cook! And by then there will probably be plenty of android food so I wouldn't have to inconvenience Kam-Elijah." He would definitely love to cook a large meal like that. Cooking and eating was a very social and special thing in many cultures. 

_"Only a little bruising." He pouts at that, but it's broken by his smile quickly after. "Yeah I figured you were busy then, and Hank probably wouldn't mind having Thanksgiving leftovers for a bit." He leaned his head on Connor, smiling as another jogger ran by, no one even sparing them a glance._

_He was still coming to terms with the idea of spending a holiday with Connor- and there was probably ones coming up a lot sooner that he could pop in with- something for the two of them. It almost reminded him of the days he was a rookie, trying to impress Hank and Fowler._

_"You're right, and hell, maybe later in the night, if Hank wants to come with or get some sleep- I always visit E at night. We and the girls play Cards Against Humanity and watching the SNL and late night shows. I think you'd have fun joining us- I know Hank's played CAH."_

_There was a small splash as one of the fish jumped the water, but it was enough to spook Gavin just slightly, jumping and clinging to Connor a bit. "Fucking fish," he grumbled, embarrassed he jumped that much but amused as well. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this calm in public._

"He would definitely enjoy it. Plus it is very common to eat a lot of food and unhealthy food that day, so it gives him an excuse to do so." Connor points out. Hank had been getting much better with his diet but some days he just didn't care. 

Connor had been working on his own recipe of a healthy hamburger that would hopefully taste the same or better than Chicken Feed. 

"I'd definitely enjoy that, and I'm sure Hank would too. I can tell having so much positive relationships is helping his overall mood and therefore health." There were also the times where Hank would look around like he couldn't find something and then almost instantly his mood would drop. That would probably never stop.

Connor could but laugh. It was adorable how startled Gavin got and that he instinctively clinged onto Connor. "I believe that was a Mugilidae, more commonly known as a Mullet fish." He said once he got his laughter under control. 

_"Pfft, for normal people I guess. You can probably tell I'm far from normal- so whatever you two wanna make that day is good to me. I'll likely bring green bean casserole." Gavin huffed at idea of eating too much unhealthy food- sure he could excuse something quick and easy if he was in a hurry, but they were already spending so much time cooking. Might as well make it healthy if they could, right?_

_Remembering playing CAH with Elijah reminded him that Connor was going to be at an actual party. They acted like teenagers despite their age, and Connor was going to get to play so many party games. "He's getting to live again, and a lot of that is because of some stubborn little dipshit that doesn't know the definition of 'giving up'." He grinned up to Connor, kissing his cheek then._

_"You're going to love this weekend Con. I wish I could invite more people but Tina prefers small gatherings- cut from the same cloth ya know?"_

There were so many recipes he could make. Of course he would make the traditional dishes, but he could also make up his own. He would definitely make plenty of desserts, probably enough to give some away. 

Actually… he does make plenty of food, perhaps he can donate any extra to homeless shelters. That way the food wouldn't go to waste and he could help people. 

"I do not have the term give up in my vocabulary." Connor said, grinning. He knew part of it was his original programming, but a lot of it was just him in general. If he thought he even had a small chance at success, he'd do it. 

He was incredibly excited for the party. He had been to the celebration of the androids gaining rights but he hadn't stayed long. He still felt out of place sometimes, so he mainly showed up to say hello to Markus before quickly leaving. 

"I'm looking forward to it. I prefer smaller crowds, too many people can be overwhelming." There was a fine line between too much stimulation and not enough. 

_"Of fucking course you don't!" He says that with a laugh, leaning against him and see the way he looked like a puppy at the idea of the weekend. Yeah, it was so worth it to have a party again if Connor looked like that each time. Hell, he'd even consider having one for his own birthday at this rate._

_"One of your best traits- can't say which is the best cause there's too many, but that's definitely one of them." Moving his eyes to their food, he grabbed another sandwich and pulled away slightly, so he wouldn't get crumbs on Connor._

_"You haven't looked up any games right? Gonna be a surprise for you, some of 'em. Nothing better than a sleepover to know a person." Well, besides sleeping with them, but even then, Gavin had a feeling Connor would be going over the party fifty times over in the next week to torture him with info he was going to learn._

_"Yeah, we all do unless we're clubbing. But like- that's kind of the point for clubbing- to go into a crowd and get lost dancing, or sit in a booth, drink silly, and watch idiots dance. Anyways, for actual like celebrations, we all kinda prefer- this kinda thing. Bet you now Tina's gonna ask to do something for Chris's birthday too."_

_Not that Gavin would mind at all._

His stubbornness was helpful but it could also get him into a lot of trouble. If the revolution didn't go well he definitely would have lost his job for disobeying an order and going into the evidence room. 

Him not backing down about infiltrating Cyberlife could have easily gotten him and Hank killed. 

But if he hadn't been so stubborn about becoming Hank's friend there was the possibility Hank wouldn't be here. 

At the question he shook his head. "I haven't." He'd found that it was much more fun to learn the human way. It gave him new experiences even if that meant making a fool of himself. 

"Perhaps you can take me clubbing. I've only ever gone out like that for a case, so I'm not sure what it is actually supposed to be like. Plus, I have found I like to people-watch." He didn't know how well he'd dance, but he'd definitely try. 

"I am definitely willing to attend any parties I'm invited to. Perhaps you could accompany me to one of the parties Markus holds to raise money." 

_There was a brief, contemplative silence as Gavin thought about taking Connor clubbing. It would have to be somewhere he completely trusted, that wouldn't get too loud. There was a nice place, a bit ways further into Detroit, and he nodded. "Well, it's better with friends or if your end goal is erm, to end up with someone... But it's mostly dancing and drinking and seeing which idiot in a group passes out first. I'd think you'd like actually dancing with me for once."_

_He smiled, not that he wouldn't dance the other way. At the thought of going to one of Jericho's parties he found his heart racing a bit. "Pffft- I don't- I doubt anyone would want me there Con. Not exactly a friendly looking face. I keep forgetting you actually know those guys..." He sounds as starstruck as he normally does, but it applied to Connor too. It's just not a thought he goes over right now._

_After finishing his sandwich he just lays back. "What kinda parties are they anyways? I look silly in a suit Con."_

It would be amusing to watch drunk people dance. He'd have to download things for dancing in the manor unless Gavin taught him or he just tried without. He'd probably look ridiculous but that would be fine. 

The thought of dancing with Gavin was… very appealing to say the least. He knew how many people danced in clubs and was interested to try it at least once. "I'd love to try. Though, I can't promise I'll be any good."

"I would want you there. Plus, I've been wanting to introduce you to Markus, North, Josh and Simon. They may seem intimidating, but I assure you that they are very kind." It still didn't make sense how easily they forgave him and pulled him into their small group. 

"I think you and North will get along well, she's been getting better about humans." Though, he still had to hold her back a few times. 

"Oh, there are lots of different kinds. Sometimes it's just a casual gathering where Markus and the others answer questions. For those I generally just stand back unless something is directed at me. There are the fancy parties. Markus sells some of his paintings and plays the piano a bit for those. I only really go to those to protect everyone, but I'd still like you there." 

He had a feeling Gavin actually would look good in a suit. He honestly thought everyone looked good in suits so there was no way Gavin would be an exception. "I'm sure you'd look stunning no matter what you wear." 

_"It's better that way- means I get to lead and you'll get to just feel." There's a grin as he can't help but think of it, warming up. He wanted to help Connor get dressed, show him where to place his hands, get lost in music and his touch. Right now, he forcibly thinks of the fish in the pond- because that is a very dangerous path to think on._

_The simple sentence 'I would want you there' just does things to him, mind melting blissfully. Again, he thinks of the fish in the pond, of the sandwiches- anything but sitting up and kissing Connor until he needed air. "I'd- Connor I'd actually geek out like- you've met Eli. I would absolutely spazz meeting those guys." He leans up on his elbows._

_"You- all of you, are heroes. Actual, revolutionary heroes. Hell, if I hadn't met you before the revolution and only after? Probably would've choked on my own tongue trying to talk to you... Though damn, is North really always like that? She seems like the fun one out of the group."_

_What- they shared opinions on humans. Gavin always had thought North was cool since her first interview and she tried to deck the reporter. He deserved it. But he focused on what Connor's asking, and while- fuck it makes him beyond anxious- "If they're fine with you bringing your boyfriend, I wouldn't mind. We can both protect everyone- or at least, I can watch your back."_

_At the last comment he actually laughed. "No I'm serious! I look like someone searched 'hobo', took the picture and slapped a bad photoshop edit onto it of a suit. I just don't have the face for it- I couldn't even find one for the last big thing Elijah took me to. Just wore a white button up and a tie and even then I looked like a cubicle worker two printer jams from throwing a coffee mug."_

He definitely wanted Gavin to meet them. He already knew and was at least on good terms with Gavin's friends and he really wanted the same for Connor's. Part of him always had a hard time accepting that he had friends, but that's what they were, right? 

Even if he didn't want to go to a gathering North would drag him there kicking and screaming just so she could have someone to talk to about wanting to burn the whole thing to the ground. The first time that happened he had been very worried but now he just laughs and tells her exactly how to do it and get away with it. 

"I just did my part in helping my people, especially after everything I did to them before." He knew the risks of going to the tower, and a very small part of him still thought if he died there he would have deserved it. 

"Markus was just the first one to say that hiding wasn't freedom. It didn't take much for the others to agree, and because he was the first to speak up, they followed him. Though, I know what you mean. If I hadn't met him and deviated from him I would have been a bit awestruck." 

"As for North, she is definitely boisterous. One of the first things she asked of me was to teach her how to properly fight. Now she can almost beat me." They also had play-fights whenever they saw each other. 

"I've told them about you and they all want to meet you, so of course they would be fine with you being my plus one." He was half-tempted to warn him about North tackling Connor to the ground every time they see each other, but he decided it would be funnier if he didn't. 

He snorted and shook his head fondly. "I could always take you suit shopping. I'm sure we could find at least one thing that looks good." He still stood by the fact that Gavin looked good in everything, but he was definitely biased.

_It still hurt in a way, but that wasn't a fight could fight for Connor. It wasn't one he'd even try to do. Instead, as he spoke, Gavin reached over, bringing a hand to Gavin's face to press in it. Trusting, after everything, hoping Connor would see if Gavin Fucking Reed trusted him, then others would too._

_"It- takes a lot of courage to be the first one to stop hiding. Even in smaller things- being the first in your family to not be straight. To be the first one to throw the brick. He's absolutely right in that, and- I wish he'd have come along sooner." Gavin still felt guilt for all the deviants whom he just- let go. Didn't want his help, so he didn't force it on them._

_He focused on the rest of his words though, laughing softly. "Sounds like you and North are closer than the other's then? Maybe introduce me to her first- hell- bring her suit shopping with us. Then I'll have an opinion that isn't my very loving boyfriend's if I look like an office employee that just pulled off a triple shift."_

_He takes another drink and then just lays back in Connor's lap, seeing as they were just talking now. Like this, Connor's occasionally framed by clouds and it's adorable honestly._

He quickly nods. "Yeah, Markus is amazing. He still does so much for our people when he could have easily stepped aside." One of the others could have stepped up afterwards if Markus had wanted to. 

"I was so terrified of becoming deviant because I didn't want to die or be replaced, which in itself is something a deviant would think. Markus finally got through to me somehow, but not before it was too late." He still remembered how many hadn't gotten off that ship. How many more would have died if Markus hadn't risked his life once again to blow the ship up. 

"I'm definitely closer with North and Markus than the other two. I would like to spend more time with all of them but they are all busy with politics. I'll definitely invite North, though. She'll love to join us." She'd definitely be fun to bring with to shop. 

He gently carded his hand through Gavin's hair, before using his other hand to sip at the thirium lemonade. He hoped that soon he'd be able to have the stuff to make his own food. Not that he didn't appropriate this at all, but he would feel bad for constantly asking for more. 

_Gavin was going to meet them. It was a holy shit moment, and he was excited- honored even- but he tempered down that hero-mode. He really did not need a repeat of when he first met Anderson._

_He hears the familiar self doubt and again, looks for some way to get his hand on Connor, this time over his shirt, over his thirium pump. "Tis life. Someday you'll get the chance, don't worry. They won't be busy forever." Everyone had to take breaks, even android revolutionary leaders, and Gavin was sure they'd get time to spend with Connor soon enough._

_At the hand through his hair he couldn't help but close his eyes, a blissful hum leaving him. "I have to ask- how many North star puns does she hear daily? Because I will have to make at least one, or I'd combust Con." He's already thought of three._

_He doesn't jump at the splash of the fish this time, far too relaxed as he was. "You said you don't know how to dance right? So you've never slowed danced either, at one of the fancier parties?" Gavin had an idea again, but tried to keep very calm about it._

Everything was just so calm and peaceful and he loved it. He loves being able to sit here with Gavin and just be completely open. He wasn't worried about being as perfect or as confident as he can. He can just be himself. 

"That's true, I know they all wanted to take a small break in the coming months. North had said if I was free then she'd literally drag me along to whatever they decided to do for the day." He wouldn't need to be actually dragged but he had no doubt that she'd do it if necessary. 

At the North Star he can't help the snort. "Not as much as you'd think. Most people are too intimidated by her so only her closer friends really make jokes and whatnot. Though, if you do I bet she'd secretly love it." 

"I haven't. I mostly just stood against a wall or near wherever Markus was. I had a few people ask to dance but I never accepted." He was always too nervous that he'd get it wrong or step on someone's feet. He also didn't want to get too preoccupied and not be ready if something happened. 

_"Oh I'll make sure you're free that day then- I'll beg Fowler myself to get you the time off." It's almost said like a threat, how determined he is to get Connor time to spend with his friends. He's moving now, sitting up gently. Slow movements as to not tip Connor off to his plan._

_"Pffft, you say that, but you've heard my puns. She's going to scream by the end of the day." He's slowly standing now, and at the admission, it's settled. He pulls his phone out, tapping on a song he knows is great for slow dancing and playing it in his pocket, a short delay on it._

_He holds out his hand then, the other tucked behind himself. "Then Connor Anderson, may I have this dance?" It's fucking Elvis Presley, but Gavin can't help but want to give Connor the full, prom dance experience. "Dance lessons, remember? Means all kinds of dances- cause like hell they'd let any of their students not know the proper form for a slow dance, including how to properly ask." It was funny, being one of the only guys to know how to slowdance right in highschool._

_His date left him midway through the dance to go cause trouble elsewhere, so Gavin just offered to dance with any girls that wanted to. It got him a A on a couple projects from the teachers that were over-seeing the dance, which, bonus._

"I'm sure I can just ask. It's not often that I even take a break to breathe, so I'm pretty sure I can get one day off." He smiled. If not he'd also have Hank ready to fight if need be. 

He tilted his head when Gavin started to get up. At the end he grins so widely it would hurt. 

The first time he met Gavin he would have never guessed he'd be offered a dance in a park on a date. 

Was there anything Gavin couldn't do? Honestly the more he learns about him the more he loves and it fills him completely with warmth and happiness. 

"I'd be honored." He says, reaching to take Gavin's hand and standing up. 

_Gavin moves his hand to tangle their fingers together, holding their hands out just a bit with bent elbows, and then places his left hand on Connor's side, under his arm. "Isn't that the truth. Seriously, one of these days- me, you, Hank- week long vacation. Let another precinct deal with Detroit, I want the three of us, and any of your friends, to just- go somewhere. Have fun."_

_Gavin loves the grin, the way Connor looks at him as if he offered the sun and not a small dance to Elvis in a park. "Honor's all mine angel. However, don't feel bad about stepping on my toes. Won't be the first time. As with a lot of things, once I start the steps, do what feels right." He's motioning to his arm then. "If you wanna rest your hands on my shoulder you can, it's normal to start out like this but we can get closer."_

_Thankfully there's other songs to follow the one they're on, and Gavin waits for the moment to guide Connor to move. It's not about pushing- you never want to push, but guiding, waiting for Connor to follow- well- his lead._

The soft grass tickles his feet a bit but out of everywhere there is his least sensitive spot. It made sense, why would an android need to feel anything with their feet? He still enjoyed the new sensation though. 

"I'd like that. Maybe we can drive across America, seeing all the places we can." He'd love to do it. He'd get to see so much and with the two people he loves and considers family. 

He put his hand on Gavin's shoulder, keeping himself in the correct position. He loved seeing people dance, as it was always filled with so much emotion. Now he finally got to see what it was like on the other side of things. 

He quickly glanced down at his feet before looking back up. He didn't want to do anything wrong but he'd take messing it up and watching Gavin than staring down at the ground and not messing up. 

_He keeps talking, because it was easier to feel and not worrying about messing up when distracted. Once you got the rhythm of it, it was easy. "Oh definitely- road trip sounds awesome. Take you to the beach on each coast- North Carolina's and then California's. Take you up New England too- New York City would- fuck- you would be so overwhelmed by that alone. We'd have to be careful."_

_He can't help but notice how Connor's still slightly tense, so he lets go of Connor's hand, instead both of them on his hips now. "This better?" It was a lot more intimate this way, but a lot of couples danced like this anyways._

_It hits him very suddenly one thing. "Wait- shit- do you even know how to swim?" Gavin used to love doing so, but he barely had time to find a place he could swim at, let alone actually go there. He'd make time if it meant teaching Connor how to, that was important after all._

He'd love to see both oceans. Seeing New York would be interesting. "Well, as long as you are there I'm sure I can handle it. I'll definitely have to turn down my audio sensors." 

He put his now free hand on Gavin's shoulder, relaxing somewhat. This was definitely a more relaxed stance. He followed Gavin's lead, swaying with the music. 

"I do, kind of," he says smiling. "When Markus blew up Jericho we had to jump into the water. Quite a few androids dripped water all night. Most androids aren't really built to swim." 

There were the lifeguard androids and other protective ones. He could swim just in case he had to chase after someone in water. The life partner androids could also swim if their human commanded it. "I haven't swam for pleasure, though."

_The words were so cheesy and perfect, and Gavin was cursed for suggesting dancing because he couldn't hide the stupid grin he got. Or how his face warmed up slightly. "Right by your side Con, always."_

_The music switched to another song, but the beat stayed the same, slow, gentle movements. Nothing else existed but them and it- was honestly great. "I guess swimming in the ocean will be an experience for you then. When I was young, we were forced to know how in high school. I prefer swimming in a pool to the ocean any day but hey, maybe you'll like it."_

_He thought about it a bit then grinned. "Maybe we could do one of those- couples surfing lessons on the West coast?" A lot of ideas of Connor and him, sitting on surfboards towards the sunset, close and having fun came to him and he couldn't help but feel excited for a trip not even planned._

_Gavin never noticed that they did, slightly, move from where they started. He did feel like moving this way was second nature. "Just think, now I've danced for you and with you. The only thing left is to take you clubbing."_

He had so much energy in him from this. It was like Gavin was a battery and when they touched he was charged. 

"Well, Elijah has a pool, he'd probably let you swim there if you want." He still wanted to ask why the water had been colored. It seemed unnecessary but Kamski was eccentric. 

The idea of surfing was appealing. He knew he liked the idea of being in the ocean, and he had found the sound of waves calming (Hank had suggested it after he had gotten a bit too overstimulated). "We could! I bet you'll be great at it." 

"I'd like that. We can make a whole date out of it if you'd like." He would pamper Gavin and buy him drinks. 

He was so caught up that he didn't notice how close to the water they were getting until it was almost too late. He catches Gavin before either of them can fall in by placing a hand on his back.

_"Yeah, but it's red- and that's- it's fucking weird? Like, don't get me wrong, but I don't want to come out looking like a crab from swimming in the water. I know I know, it's red tiles and backlighting, but still!" He shook his head, the pool being a very weird topic._

_Gavin had to think if he would be, but he didn't know. He hadn't done the 90s kid things like rollerskate or skateboard, so he had no idea how he would fair on a surfboard. So he dropped the idea, instead focusing on going clubbing. "Sounds like a plan, though if you get me drunk on drinks there, I have to warn you- I'll probably get very affectionate."_

_He was about to go into where they could go when he felt himself suddenly go backwards, gasping for air from the movement. He had held on a little tighter, and almost muscle memoried a leg up around Connor's waist but the aborted movement had it raising slightly, and he clung to the other._

_Realizing the sound of water was so close, he couldn't help but go red a bit, imagining this looked- stupidly- wonderfully sappy and romantic. "And just like that, the student becomes the teacher huh?"_

He had to admit, there was an easy prank they could pull with the pool with they wanted to. Though, if he told Gavin about it then he had no doubt he'd do it, so he decided to keep it to himself. For now at least. 

"You have incredible dexterity and quick reflex times, so you'll do very well," if his pole dancing was any indication. 

Oh he definitely had to get Gavin drunk at least one time then. Obviously he wouldn't want it every time they go out, but he'd like to see it at least once when out. "I don't mind at all. I'll make sure you get home safe too." 

Connor grinned and rolled his eyes. It seemed he always was a bit too distracted when Gavin was around. He leaned in to kiss him as he slowly pulled him back up. His heart fluttered and honestly if this kept up, Gavin would be the death of him. 

_Gavin kissed back, all too happy to focus on the moment instead of worrying about future plans. He moved his arms once he was stable, wrapping them around Connor's neck and kissing him properly. Fuck whomever saw them, the sun was starting to set and Gavin wanted to make Connor feel every drop of love Gavin had for him right now._

_He didn't stop kissing Connor until he was breathless himself, pulling back with lidded eyes and just observing. "I love you, I love you- so damn much. I don't think I'll ever stop saying that either." His voice was quiet- breathless- rough from singing and laughing and just- having fun. But warm and wanting and he leaned in for another kiss._

_Only after that did he finally let his arms loosen up, content just to kiss slowly. "Think we can spend the rest of the night like this, before Hank gets concerned that I'm keeping you out too late?" He knew it was dipping into night. They had work. Gavin had a case calling his name, and Connor was always doing so much._

_But he didn't want to leave, not anytime soon. Conversations of the future, putting the past where it belonged- he wanted to stay in this moment, having sung and played for and danced with Connor. Kissing him until his lips were bruised. "Phck," came out laughed and weak as his head rested against Connor's chest. "I love you."_

It was so romantic that he was practically drowning in it. Not that he didn't live it, he'd gladly drown. 

"I love you too." He murmured. He kept his hand around Gavin's waist, swaying just slightly as they kissed. 

Gavin's smile was like the stars, it made him feel so much and he never wanted to look away. Having him in his life makes him feel like everything's possible in this world, like he can conquer anything. Like anything could happen and he'd have the strength to take it on, but if he didn't then Gavin would be there to lend him some. 

"I'm an adult, I can stay out as long as I want." Though, they both knew he'd go back home if Hank really needed him. For now he'd just let himself fully relax for as long as possible. 

He pressed a kiss to Gavin's hair when he placed his head on his chest. "And I love you. Thank you for this, you're amazing." Everything was just perfect, and it's exactly what he wanted and needed.

_Connor stubbornly saying 'I'm an adult' had Gavin stifling a laugh in the other's chest, squeezing closer for just a moment. He felt them sway, the warmth from the other, the soft whirr that he fucking adored, so, so much. Gavin loved being this close, feeling this safe, knowing only Connor could make him feel this way._

_"No need to thank me. I just wanted to have a proper date with you, and I'm- phck- I'm happy it turned out this well." He pressed a kiss to the other's shirt before remembering he did have some makeup on, and he didn't want Connor to be wearing it. At least, not like this._

_The sound of the city lit up slowly with crickets and bird calls as night approached, and Gavin pulled his head up, just to contently look at Connor. Count the little spots on his face, watch the way his one defiant curl moved slightly. "Something amazing for someone amazing."_

"As first dates go, I think it went perfectly." Of course he had no other reference, but he honestly didn't want any others. He didn't really want any first dates again, even if that sounded a bit too soon. Apparently he was a romantic, who knew? 

"Do you hear that one bird call that sounds like someone laughing?" He asks. "That's a Sitta carolinensis, commonly known as the White-breasted Nuthatch. They're very pretty birds." 

He identified different bird calls and other animal sounds they could hear as the night grew later and later. 

It was only a bit later when Hank sent him a message making sure he was ok and asking if he was coming home. "We should probably head back, you've got sleep and I should probably charge again." 

_There was no stopping the very happy smile at that, Gavin kissing the other's jaw simply because he wasn't stretching up to reach his lips right now. "First one of many." He was grinning so much, he wasn't sure he'd ever felt this happy just by being with someone._

_As Connor pointed out bird calls, Gavin was very happy to ask for pictures, making a couple jokes because- honestly, birds have the silliest names sometimes. But he wasn't stopping him from rambling, just trying to encourage it more. There was even a point he tried to mimic one but failed spectacularly at it._

_When Connor finally brought up leaving, Gavin knew he was right. The sandwiches were gone, on his part at least, and he could feel himself falling asleep from feeling way too safe- the small reminder that they were in public merely a whisper. "Yeah we should, you have to take this extra home though. I need the room for what I'm going to have for the party."_

_Speaking of, he had lots to do after work for the next couple days. Not that he minded, it was only the four of them after all. He got up, stretching as much as he could, before he started to clean up. "You wanna drive or want me to?" He offered only because he knew Connor liked driving, he was perfectly content to do so either way._

Connor snorted at Gavin's jokes and attempt at the bird call. Connor couldn't help but easily replicate the sound perfectly. He broke out into laughter when a real bird called back. 

"Gladly, eating is one of the best things ever, after you of course." He couldn't help but add the end. He'd let Gavin decide if it was an innuendo or not. 

He quickly helped clean up, not letting Gavin do all the work. He was the one to prepare the whole date in the first place, the least he could do was help clean up. 

Connor thought about the offer before shrugging. "Either way is fine. If you want to then go ahead, but I wouldn't mind either." 

_Of course a bird would call back, and Gavin grumbled out a weak 'fuck off I was first' before he grinned, kissing Connor on the cheek. The comment had his heart racing and face turning red, but he didn't press it. In all honesty- he didn't want tonight to end in that way. He wanted a night where Connor realized he was loved, no matter what they were doing. He had a relationship before where he was sought out for his body._

_He wouldn't do that to Connor. He did however steal kisses and hugs the whole time they cleaned up, the last items into the car now. "I figured I'd offer you the chance in case you wanted to, but I can drive this time." One more kiss before Gavin slid into the driver's seat, feeling way too happy._

He felt so bubbly and yet calm at the same time. Gavin made him want to bounce from happiness and love and never let him go. He felt so at peace that an asteroid could be coming to the earth and he'd probably just shrug and make sure he was with Gavin, Hank and Sumo when it hit.

He leaned into every touch a kiss, giving Gavin just as much as he got. He loved Gavin's warmth and how open he was with touching. Connor hadn't thought he'd also be this open, but Gavin made it easy. 

He slid in on the other side with a wide grin. "Thank you. And thank you for the date, it really is amazing and more than I could ever dream of."

_He had to focus on driving, but it wasn't too crowded so he could offer his hand for Connor. "Hey, thank you for letting me take you out properly. Promise I'm gonna try to find more dates you like- I got some ideas now that I wanna try out, but- when we're less busy." Connor just coming back to work, and Gavin recovering from his time off- he knew that missing too much more work would put a serious strain on everyone else._

_No offense to Collins, but the man was coasting to retirement, not actively looking for trouble. That was their specialty. "You got a ride for the party or need me to come get you?" He was extra excited for that, visibly showing it in his grin. Connor trying android alcohol? And cupcakes? And party games?_

_He couldn't be more excited to give the other the full experience he wouldn't with others._

"I will also take you on dates. I'm sure I can find activities we can do together that we'll both enjoy." Though Gavin was right, they both had a lot of work to catch up on. 

He honestly loved the busyness of work and the sense of accomplishment after solving a case. Even the smaller, easier cases were still rewarding. The people they save may not like him because of him being an android, but Connor would rather them alive and hating them then dead.

Plus, Hank often gave him the honors of cuffing them. He got to see their faces when they realized they had been caught. It was even better when they were anti-android because he had no problems talking to Hank about android things just to rub it in. 

He was snapped back to the present by Gavin's question. He did have an idea, but he wasn't sure if he was going to go through with it. It seemed incredibly impulsive to himself, and yet he still wanted to do it. "I'll be fine, thank you." 

He'd probably ask Hank what he thought when he got home. If he agreed and they had time maybe he would. It was definitely an appealing idea. 

_"Are we going to be one of those couples that has to write down who gets what date night?" He was teasing of course, not minding the idea at all of someone taking him out to a date. It had been a while, but it wasn't something he actively thought of before either._

_He could see the moment Connor zoned out, eyes getting that far away look and LED spinning lazily. He waited patiently of course, not minding one bit when Connor would zone out in thoughts. "Alright, I got to start digging around in a case tomorrow so you won't see too much of me, but be good alright?"_

_He did, while they were at a stoplight, look over, checking Connor out. It wasn't like everything didn't happen- he was still extremely worried about his healing and recovery. But he wasn't going to be hovering either, Connor was smart, strong, so much more than Gavin, and, hopefully, he realized Gavin wouldn't be able to go and lose him anytime soon._

Connor snorted and grinned at Gavin. At least they weren't the type that never took each other on dates. They actually wanted to be together, so he'd take any teasing from anyone for it. 

Connor nodded and looked between the road and Gavin. "Alright, I'll probably be swamped too. If you want any help, I'm here. Don't push yourself too hard, you're no good to anyone dead." Huh, he should probably take his own advice actually. He's definitely what humans call a 'workaholic'. 

He couldn't help but smirk slightly though, tilting his head. "I'll be a good little android." He had to keep himself from busting into giggles since he wanted to see Gavin's reaction first. 

_He loved the little snort he got, knowing that absolutely meant they would be. He- was excited for that too, but right now, he was also feeling tired. Today was a lot, he actually felt like he could sleep for once._

_"Hey, no more scary experiences on my end. Just remember that yourself, and we'll both be good. I'll reach out if I think I need it, don't worry." He blinked as a couple raindrops fell, and cracked the window to feel the cool air. "Damn- perfect ending."_

_Going slightly red at the smirk and the comment, he couldn't help the crooked smile as that sent way too much heat through him. "You little shit- don't tease me when I can't follow you in. I have a long night ahead of me already without you by my side." He rubbed at the scar on his nose._

"Ah, but danger is my middle name!" Actually that wasn't true, he didn't have a middle name. He didn't need one and he honestly couldn't think of one. So danger could honestly be it if he wanted it to be. 

Though, it was hard to not be in dangerous situations as a detective, it was literally in the job description. Of course he'd be careful, but he'd rather take a bullet or knife than Hank. His parts could be replaced much easier than Hank. 

The rain made him sigh contently. He had quickly found that he loved the sound of rain. He wasn't that big of a fan of thunder but rain was so peaceful. 

Connor couldn't hold it in anymore, he burst into giggles practically folding himself in half with the force of it. "Oh rA9, that was amazing!" He chuckled once he finally caught his breath. "I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not. It was just too easy."

_"Keep it up Connor, I got a pair of tight leather pants and I will wear them if you keep teasing me. As even Tina has said, it's unfair when I put those on." He didn't actually mind, the sound of Connor losing it to giggles was so cute._

_"And no- danger is not your middle name. It's 'cute', I know better." He actually knew Connor didn't have one, and wondered if Connor knew his. The rain successfully distracted him, calming him down as he pulled into Hank's._

_"Damn, home already. Do I get a good night kiss?" He leaned over, wanting to make it easier for him, but also carefully putting it in park. Just in case. "You really had a good night angel?" His voice was much softer now, the music gone, just the soft patter of light rain and the hum of the car, of Connor's thirium pump. He still remembered the small electric fan to calm him when Connor was gone._

"Doesn't seem much like a punishment to me." He'd probably blue screen for a second, but who wouldn't? 

He scrunched up with nose slightly and stuck his tongue out. "Hm, I don't think it's that either. I believe Hank once called me Connor Smartass Anderson once, it seems fitting." Of course he did deserve to be called a smartass especially after he pointed out that he was smart but he doubted his ass had anything to do with it. 

At Gavin's soft question he practically melted. "I really did. You're amazing, and I love you." He closes the distance between them, and gently reached up to cup Gavin's face. He gently strokes his thumb across his cheekbone almost absentmindedly. 

_"You say that now..." He grinned, fully knowing what he could do to tease his boyfriend right during work hours. Maybe he'd use that surprise later. "And that's pretty damn fitting, you're right. Though I'd opt for 'Great Ass'."_

_There wasn't much else to say as Connor kissed him so gently. He didn't think he'd ever get used to the hands that saved so many people, could do so much on their own- holding him so gently like he might break. Thumb featherlight and the feeling in his face easing up. He let out a little, weak whine, face going red from his own thoughts._

_He pulled back to breathe, still feeling on fire. "Fucking hell... I love you so much. If I'm amazing, then you are outstanding- above and beyond- astounding- so so much more because you are my hero Con. I love you." The sappiness only increased the heat in his face._

He rolled his eyes at the great ass. His wasn't much, it seemed whoever designed him thought he wouldn't need one. Which was fine, he actually didn't mind at all. 

Connor started rumbling again at the small sound Gavin made. He made no effort to squash it, just let himself be. 

Ah, the one downside of humans. They needed to breathe. Though, he also found it silly that humans couldn't eat and drink while breathing at the same time. It was fine, he was too focused on Gavin to give it much more thought. 

"There are a million ways to say how much I love you that I don’t know where to start." There were so many thoughts of everything that he loved about Gavin flooding his brain. "I love your honesty, your passion, your resilience, your courage, I love you."

_At the rumble, he knew Connor was just as effected as he was, and found it was terrible to pull away. To stop for any reason. He didn't want to stop, he wanted to keep kissing Connor until the sun came up._

_For now, the car was in park, and it wasn't like Hank was dumb enough to come check on them now. Connor's words had his own head spinning, and he easily found it in himself to fully lean over and kiss Connor again. This time, he kept breaking it to talk. "I love you- I love everything about you- to chose to list one thing- at a time- would take all night."_

_Each pause was a kiss, before Gavin just held onto the other, mindful of his arm of course, head on the other's chest. "I love you, and while I'd sit all night and tell you every reason- there really isn't a damn thing I don't love about you- my heroic detective with a heart of gold."_

He hummed happily when Gavin kissed him again. He slowly moves his hand to gently hold the back of Gavin's head to make sure he doesn't pull away too far. 

He felt the same, it was take an infinite out of time for him to list all the reasons he loves Gavin. Gosh, they are both incredibly sappy, but he loves it. It makes feel all warm and cozy. 

Ah right, as much as he didn't want this night to ever end, they both had work. Connor would charge completely tonight and Gavin no doubt needed the sleep as well. "Hmm, I'm glad I yours, and you are mine." 

_One day he would articulate how much it meant to him when Connor held him close. One day he would tell Connor not to let go. Today- tonight rather- wasn't the time, but he hoped he conveyed it in every kiss._

_Instead he enjoyed every kiss and let out a soft groan when Connor kept him from starting a new one. He knew they had to separate but fuck, he did not want to. "All yours. I think everyone knows it too." He grinned, remembering how fucked up his neck still was- he would need new marks soon but not tonight. He could wait til after the party._

_Hopefully. "You better get out before I start kissing you again or Hank catches us." He made no move to back away though, just relaxed, grinning, eyes bright even in the dark light._

It was hard to stop. He didn't want to let Gavin go, but he knew he needed to. And there was that small daydream of going back to Gavin's place and staying forever. Not that he didn't love and appreciate Hank and being able to stay there, he considered it home. But, he could consider multiple places home, at least he currently did now. 

He gently nipped at Gavin's bottom lip and then grinned. People definitely knew, and he loved it. He was proud of Gavin and wanted to show everyone how lucky he was to have him. 

He sighed and nodded. "I should, but-" he trails off. Gosh he didn't realize how hard it would be to actually get out of the car and leave. "One more kiss?"

_"Mhm, one more kiss." He knew how much of a lie that was, but he still leaned back in, happily kissing the other. His eyes closed and himself melting, he snuck his hands behind Connor to hold him properly, pulling him close and resting like that. Sure, the drive shaft dug into him uncomfortably, but it was worth it._

_Part of him wondered if he could get away with staying here and just wearing Connor's shirt tomorrow. He wanted so bad to crawl into the man's lap and demand to be carried in, but knowing Hank was right there killed the want. Just a little._

_He only pulled away when his chest hurt, begging for oxygen, leaving him panting. "Connor..." He wanted so much but for once he had to be responsible. "Love you. Goodnight." He started to try and pull away._

He leaned into the touch as much as possible in the car. Definitely an odd angle but that was fine. There were definitely more comfortable positions they could be in, but he'd probably not get out of the car anytime soon if they moved. 

He sighed when Gavin pulled back, but he was still grinning. "Love you too. Drive safe and sleep well, love." 

He opened the car door and slowly slid out, dragging it out as much as he can. He keeps looking back even as he walks up to the door. He faces Gavin a slight wave before walking in, and closing the door behind him. 

_"You too!" He called out, watching how slow Connor was going. He really did love this man, and he didn't dare pull away until Connor was fully inside._

_Getting home, he didn't hesitate to gush to Doa and Chloe about the date, thanking the latter for her help of course. He made sure to tidy up before he went to bed._

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos keep us alive!
> 
> My Connor RP blog is [here!](https://connorandersons-blog.tumblr.com/) Please feel free to come interact with me!
> 
> Lupo's Gavin Reed blog is [here!](https://phcking-coffee-lover.tumblr.com/)


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